The power of Joan Laporta

Some say Catalonia is back. But it's Joan Laporta who is crystal clear. He never really left, but now, in the midst of 2025, he has rediscovered his true essence: that combination of dramatic power, inspiring discourse, and genuine gestures that connect far beyond just Barça. Barça has won, and with it, Laporta has won again. But his is, above all, a victory of personality, leadership, and narrative.

The Laporta who smiles in the locker room and stands side by side with players and coaches inevitably recalls the young president of 2003 who, with just the right amount of affable impudence, brought order, vision, and passion to a club that was also then seeking recovery. With a style that combines ease, a touch of provocation, but also, when necessary, good manners and a clear-eyed discourse, the Blaugrana leader once again possesses that power that challenges and transcends football.

The country also lacks the kind of enthusiasm that invites you to smile while you win.

Because while Laporta regains his composure and radiates enthusiasm, the Catalan political landscape seems slumbering, anesthetized. Yesterday, the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, reiterated in an interview with La Vanguardia the mantra that "Catalonia is back" and argued that we are now experiencing a policy of "absolute normality." He described it as a success. And for many, it is. But perhaps, for many others, this normality is synonymous with routine, predictability, and a lack of energy. A peaceful space, yes, but lacking a mobilizing narrative.

In this Catalonia where everything seems already agreed upon, where the Socialists manage regional politics from the center with their eyes on Madrid, Laporta's vivid and powerful narrative seems more necessary than ever. Not to convey it as is to the Parliament (because politics isn't about Barça, and he tried that years ago and it didn't quite work), but to assert that leaders with charisma, drive, and the ability to generate enthusiasm can still have a place, especially in a Catalan politics that veers between inertia and disenchantment.

On the one hand, ERC is dragged through a turbulent internal dynamic that, through strategic contortions and a repeatedly failed desire to present itself as a responsible governing party, has ended up distorting its capacity to inspire emotion. On the other hand, Junts is trying to keep the narrative of the confrontation alive, but it's doing so with a leader, Carles Puigdemont, who still can't return home. The Amnesty Law that should have made this possible remains unenforced. It's difficult to build normalcy or exceptionality from that position.

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Meanwhile, in this vacuum of discursive and emotional power, Laporta fills a void. Perhaps unintentionally, and from a sporting perspective. But his style connects with a segment of Catalan society. Because the country doesn't just need stability. It also needs, from time to time, a little well-managed hope, the kind that invites you to dream out loud. Or, like Laporta, to smile while you win.