If you read my previous column about Ansu Fati, you might remember comments I made about other young prospects being sold off without being given a chance in the senior team. I also discussed the club in its limbo stage of history because of its board. Well, fans of the Catalonian club no longer have to worry about that, because on Oct. 27, the parasite that is Josep Maria Bartomeu announced his resignation from the club. The rest of the Board of Directors also resigned.
When this news broke, Culers had nearly the same level of rejoice as Americans when they found out SEAL Team Six killed Osama bin Laden. Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but you should get the sense of how great this news was for fans.
This was a long time coming. Hell, Bartomeu even admitted that after the 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarterfinal, the easiest thing to do was to resign then and there. But instead, he wanted to wait. The initial plan was to wait until the middle of November for a fan’s vote of confidence; which, let’s be real here: No sane fan would vote for him to stay. Instead, he decided to take action and leave a club he greatly destroyed during his six-year tenure. Following his resignation, many wondered what chapter in Barcelona’s 120-year history would unfold next. Quite frankly, I see nothing but great hope for the future of the club.
Like I said, Bartomeu left behind a historic club in a completely different position than when he joined the Blaugrana in 2014, from embarrassing Champions League campaigns three years in a row to extremely questionable transfers both in and out of the club and the massive decline in the club’s La Masia, where many of Barcelona’s players in the past came from.
So, what should fans expect in the near future? Obviously the appointment of a new president, but there are two major candidates that could be appointed: Joan Laporta, former club president, and Victor Font, who seems to be heavily favored for the position. While Laporta brought Barcelona a golden era and had La Masia boom under him, I strongly believe Font will do the same, but go even further, in a good way. Font is behind the ‘Sí al futur’ project, where he and other club members will seek to bring the club back to its glory days. Font also wants to bring back Pep Guardiola, who was one of, if not the most, successful coaches in Barcelona’s history.
But one question still remains: Will Messi still push for a transfer out of the club? After making clear public statements that he hated Bartomeu and the rest of the board, I think the chances of him staying gradually increased. I say this because how the outcome of this season, in both domestic and European competitions, could influence his decision. Given the club currently sit in 12th in La Liga, no one can truly be sure.
