Joan Laporta insists football 'owed' Lionel Messi World Cup glory

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has congratulated Lionel Messi following his historic World Cup triumph.

Messi was instrumental in Argentina’s success in Qatar this winter, scoring seven goals – including five in the knockout rounds alone – and creating a further three goals for his teammates.

The forward was a key man in the final too, scoring two goals and earning himself a 10/10 rating from 90min for his performance (the thing he’s probably most proud of from the World Cup) in Argentina’s penalty shootout victory over a Kylian Mbappe-led France outfit.

Following the legendary forward’s World Cup victory, Laporta took to Twitter to congratulate Barca’s all-time top goalscorer, writing: “Congratulations, Leo! You deserve it. Football owed you this moment.”

Later, at a press conference to celebrate the release of Barcelona’s new documentary series FC Barcelona, a new era, Laporta continued his praise of Messi.

“All the cules think that it is historical justice that Leo had his World Cup,” Laporta said. “Messi’s talent makes us happy, as does this much-desired cup. He can be very satisfied. The fans are very grateful for his talent.”

Rumours have been swirling about Messi’s potential return to Barcelona in the summer, and 90min understands that the club are keen to make a deal happen. Barca will face stiff competition from Inter Miami however, who are in negotiations with Messi’s representatives and are willing to meet the legendary forward’s wage demands to bring him to MLS.

Wherever his future lies, Messi has cemented his place at the top of basically every ‘greatest footballers of all time’ list (including this one) having won the World Cup, seven Ballons d’Or, five European Golden Shoes and four UEFA Champions Leagues.