Top facts about Joan Laporta, Barcenola’s president

Joan Laporta I Estruch (born 29 June 1962) is a Catalan politician and the present chairman of FC Barcelona.

Joan Laporta’s age

is 59. Here you can find out the most important facts about Joan Laporta, the legendary Barcelona president.

Joan Laporta is an attorney with his own company, Laporta&Arbós, which has a number of prominent Spanish companies as customers (he graduated from the University of Barcelona). From 2010 to 2012, he was a member of the Catalan Parliament.

FC Barcelona established a new milestone for championships earned in a 12-month period during his first term as president, collecting six in 2009. He was re-elected as team chairman in 2021 after leaving in 2010. The Catalan took over a club in financial troubles with a fan base who are eagerly anticipating a return to their glory days.

Joan Laporta is no stranger to the position of president, having previously served as president of Barca. From 2003 until 2010, he was the president of FC Barcelona. The Blaugrana had one of their most successful times during his tenure.

They've won a total of twelve championships, including four Ligas and two Champions Leagues (2006 and 2009). Seven years that also mark the peak of the careers of club icons like as

, Xavi, Iniesta, and Eto'o. But it would be the rise of

that would define his two years as Catalan President.

Top facts about Joan Laporta:

Joan Laporta, a lawyer by profession, served in the Catalan Parliament from 2010 to 2012 under the banner of Convergencia I Unio (CiU), the Party for Catalan Unity for Independence. Between 2011 and 2015, he also served on the Barcelona City Council.

A notable fact about Joan Laporta is that he was an outspoken independentist who was a member of the Party for Independence, which advocated for Catalonia's independence from Spain in 1996. He took his separatist desires to Barça, such as removing the Spanish flag from La Masia, the club's training facility.

In 2008, his administration was not only characterized by tremendous achievements in the field, but it was also not marred by other issues. The socios requested a vote of censure against him, citing his club administration and poor performances for Barça, who finished third that season and were beaten 4-1 by

in the Clasico.

Being a public figure is difficult. However, the ex-lawyer has always been able to get rid of the different bee-eaters with whom he has come into contact. His now ex-brother-in-law, Alejandro Echevarra, a member of the club's executive committee, was connected to a Franco movement in 2005. (the Francisco Franco National Foundation).

An important fact about Joan Laporta is that his name first surfaced in the Panama Papers in December 2016. According to the Confidential and LaSexta disclosures, he was linked to Agent Pini Zahavi's mysterious business. The Catalan had not disputed the facts in the Confidencial, but had said that the business had not been established and that he had therefore earned no profit.

Joan Laporta, a native of

and a Blaugrana fan, had the chance to carefully watch the Flying Dutchman's achievements at Camp Nou (1973-1978). And, like many of his peers, he was a fan when Cruyff came, when he was 11 years old. In a 2010 interview with La Monde, he recalled, "As teenagers, we did everything like him, till the haircut."

An important fact about Joan Laporta is that he attempted to emulate the star on the field and donned his number as well (9). He would subsequently become the Batavian's buddy and lawyer, and in March 2010, he would be named honorary president of Barça. Cruyff would resign from this symbolic position in July of the following year, feeling like "a problem."

Laporta was originally seen as an outsider when he ran for the president of Barcelona in 2003. His charm, on the other hand, earned him favor, as did his plan to bring Manchester United star

to Camp Nou.

Laporta ultimately won the president against the favorite, Llus Bassat, and Beckham joined Real Madrid. Instead, the new president made a compromise by signing Ronaldinho.

Joan Laporta early life

Joan Laporta was born on June 29, 1962, in Barcelona. There is no information available regarding

Joan Laporta childhood

. He was a pediatrician. Regarding

Joan Laporta’s parents

, it should be mentioned that Joan Laporta Bonastre is his father. Joan has two siblings.

Joan Laporta personal life

Laporta is the father of three boys, Pol, Guillem, and Jan, from his marriage to Constanza Echevarra. They decided to divorce in 2008. Pol Laporta, Laporta's son, is a footballer who plays in the attacking midfield position.

Laporta studied law at the Universitat de Barcelona. After obtaining his master's degree, he founded his own law firm, Laporta & Arbos. He is also a member of the Parliament of Catalonia as head of the Catalan Solidarity for Independence list.

Joan Laporta Barcelona presidency career

A notable fact about Joan Laporta is that he he began his association with FC Barcelona as the leader of the "Elefant Blau" ("Blue Elephant"), a group that opposed previous president Josep Llus Nez and attempted, but failed, to pass a vote of no confidence against him in 1998.

Laporta did not begin the 2003 elections as a favorite, but his popularity increased during the campaign, and he eventually defeated the anticipated winner, publicist Llus Bassat, in part due to a well-publicized (and ultimately unfulfilled) pledge to bring David Beckham to Barcelona.

Other young businesspeople in Barcelona, such as Sandro Rosell, backed Laporta. Laporta rose to prominence in the media almost as fast as some of the players.

An important

fact about Joan Laporta

is that his first season as president (2003–04) would prove to be a turning point for the club, although not without some turbulence. After failing to match Real Madrid's success in the early 2000s, and having not won trophies since 1999, the club's position was one of deep dissatisfaction and disappointment among both fans and players.

With Laporta's entrance, as well as that of soccer superstar Ronaldinho (his star signing after David Beckham's decision to join Real Madrid and

's decision to stay at Arsenal), new boss Frank Rijkaard, and others, the team was forced to enter a new phase, having elected a new, young, and largely inexperienced managerial board alongside him.

A notable

fact about Joan Laporta

is that he also chose to resist the danger of violence outside of the Camp Nou stadium, particularly from the Boixos Nois (Mad Boys) ultras group, and was insulted and threatened with death.

They had intended to kidnap him, according to the police inquiry. To make matters worse, the 2003–04 season started with dismal results, forcing Laporta and Rijkaard to appeal to the supporters' patience and understanding as the club gradually phased away underperforming players from the old guard in order to construct a new-look side around Ronaldinho.

Laporta also had to encourage his board to pursue innovative business ideas in order to increase revenue, and in recent years, that new style of management has been successful in turning around the club's fortunes, with the squad impressively returning to form and finishing second after finishing last in 2003–04, and then finally winning La Liga titles in 2004–05 and 2005–06.

During this time, the hereditary massive financial debt began to be reduced, and only two players stayed from the original team that had not won a major title in six years, with new starlets such as Deco, Samuel Eto'o, and Edmilson circling Ronaldinho and a nucleus of home-grown players such as Carles Puyol, Xavi,

, Vctor Valdés, and Oleguer.

On May 17, 2006, the team won the UEFA Champions League for the second time in its history, as well as the Liga title.

Barcelona has a lengthy history of refusing to have sponsors on its shirts. FC Barcelona established a five-year partnership with UNICEF in 2006, in which the club will contribute €1.5 million and wear the UNICEF emblem on their jerseys. Following Laporta's departure as president, the club negotiated jersey sponsorship deals with Qatar Foundation and then Qatar Airways, both of which he criticized.

The club was temporarily governed by a management committee headed by economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin.

The elections were supposed to take place on September 3, 2006, but they were canceled when Barcelona approved Laporta's President for another four years on August 22, after no other candidate obtained the requisite 1,804 signatures.

The poor performance of the sports sections, particularly in football, combined with reservations about his leadership style culminated in a censure motion sponsored by Oriol Giralt on July 6, 2008. Exit polls indicated that Laporta received 60.60 percent of the 39,389 ballots cast against him. Even though he lost the popular vote, he fell short of the required 66 percent to force fresh elections.

Following the announcement of the findings, it was widely assumed that Laporta would quit as a consequence of pressure from his fellow directors. As a consequence, then-vice-president Albert Vicens would have taken over for Laporta, and Ferran Soriano would have taken over as the primary vice-president.

Laporta, on the other hand, immediately rejected these rumors. On July 10, 2008, eight of the 17 board members – vice presidents Albert Vicens, Ferran Soriano, and Marc Ingla, as well as directors Evarist Murtra, Toni Rovira, Xavier Cambra, Clàudia Vives-Fierro, and Josep Llus Vilaseca – resigned after Laporta confirmed that he would continue as president of the club despite the members' opposition.

They resigned owing to "discrepancies in the manner to act after the outcome of the motion," according to a news release.

Following the dismissal of Barcelona head coach Frank Rijkaard, Laporta named Pep Guardiola as Barça's squad captain towards the conclusion of the "Dream Team" period, despite the fact that he was untested and inexperienced.

Guardiola's sole coaching experience prior to this season was with the B squad (which won promotion from the fourth tier to the third). Barcelona enjoyed the greatest season in club history, winning the triple of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Champions League despite a bad start, losing the first match against Numancia and drawing the second.

In August, they won the Supercopa de Espana and the UEFA Super Cup, as well as the FIFA Club World Cup in December. In 2010, he was replaced by Sandro Rosell.

An important fact about Joan Laporta is that in November 2020, Laporta announced his candidacy for the presidency of the 2021 FC Barcelona presidential elections. In January 2021, he officially entered the presidential race after presenting 10,252 signatures of which 9,625 were validated and he was the favorite to win the presidential election.

On March 7 Laporta won the presidential election, in which he obtained 54.28% of the vote ahead of Victor Font and Toni Freixa who obtained 29.99% and 8.58% of the votes respectively.

The day after the elections, he announced Ferran Reverter as CEO of the club and Mateu Alemany as football director. Ten days later, the new board of directors decided to dismiss Román Gómez Ponti as head of the club's legal affairs and Albert Soler Sicilia as head of the club's professional sections, being temporarily replaced by Cristina Belloque and Òscar Grau respectively.

Likewise, the non-renewal of

as head of grassroots football was announced beyond June 30, 2021. In the following days, he signed Jaime Guardiola Romojaroas president of the Statutory Commission and future president of the Management Board in the event of an electoral period.

At the end of July and the beginning of the next, he continued to restructure the executive area of ​​the club, dismissing Òscar Grau as head of the professional sections and Pere Jansà as Director of the Social Area, being replaced by Xavier Budó and Anna Aznar respectively.

In May, he appointed Alex Santos as communication director. In the sections there were also novelties in women's football when the coach Lluís Cortés was renewed. The departure of handball coach Xavi Pascual was also announced.

On May 31, he began to reshape the first team squad by signing Sergio Agüero and Èric García at zero cost. Emerson was also signed for € 9 million. On June 3, he announced Jordi Cruyff as a sports advisor, also that same day, after a period of reflection and dispelling rumors of a possible dismissal, he confirmed Ronald Koeman as coach for the 2021-22 season.

As a novelty, it was also reported that Jesús Velasco was a new futsal coach. On June 11, grassroots football was restructured, firing FJ García Pimienta as coach of Barça B, Jordi Roura, Aureli Altimira, Alex García and Mario Ruiz as press officer of the subsidiary. José Ramón Alexanko was appointed director of grassroots football.

In turn, the departure of Guillermo Amor as director of institutional relations was announced. On June 17, Sergi Barjuan was announced as Barça B coach. The creation of the women's Joan Gamper Trophy was also reported. The remodeling of the first team was followed by signing

at zero cost.

On August 5 he announced that despite reaching an agreement with Messi, the new contract could not be formalized due to economic and structural obstacles that the entity has. On August 31, the remodeling of the squad closed in the 2021 summer transfer window, giving 6 registrations for only 9 million euros and 14 withdrawals with 86 million euros of benefits.

That same day he signed on loan to Luuk de Jong for a year. He also managed to lower the salary of captains Piqué, Sergio Busquets and

. Footballer Emerson, who was bought by him for € 9 million, was later sold to Tottenham Hotspur for a higher figure.

Joan Laporta as a politician

Laporta has a lengthy history in politics. In 1996, he entered the Independence Party, which was founded by former Republican Left of Catalonia members Pilar Rahola and ngel Colom.

After stepping down as president of FC Barcelona, Laporta had long aspired to join Spanish politics. He has been vocal about his political beliefs in the past, stating that he favors Catalan independence from Spain. Many people see FC Barcelona as a symbol of Catalonia, which Laporta often emphasizes, although this has been challenged by others who believe Barça should stay politically neutral.

Laporta founded the pro-independence political group Democràcia Catalana when his second tenure as president came to an end (Catalan Democracy). Laporta's party joined with other extra-parliamentary pro-independence parties and grassroots organizations in the summer of 2010 to create Catalan Solidarity for Independence, a political platform. Laporta was chosen as the organization's president.

The new party won four seats in the 135-member Catalan Parliament in the November 2010 elections, making it the sixth biggest party out of seven. Laporta was voted in the Barcelona normative framework.

Laporta quit the Catalan Solidarity for Independence after stepping down as its president in 2011.

Criticism

Laporta's handling of the club's sports departments, particularly the basketball department, has proved divisive. On June 2, 2005, 5 representatives of the team's board of directors, including Sandro Rosell, resigned. They charged him of having deteriorated as a person, adopting authoritarian characteristics and harboring power aspirations.

His brother-in-law and board member of governors in charge of security, Alejandro Echevarra, was discovered to be a member of the Francisco Franco Foundation in October 2005, causing a controversy. After repeated denials by Echevarra and Laporta, which were contradicted by papers provided by a former board member, Laporta was obliged to accept Echevarra's departure. Echevarra remained connected to the club, and he was in charge of security for the 2005–06 La Liga title celebrations.

The Echevarra issue was complicated further by Laporta's own political past, since his views are diametrically opposite to those indicated by Echevarra's participation in the Francisco Franco Institute. Laporta is a self-described Catalan nationalist who has previously said that he supports Catalonia's independence from Spain.

He formed the now-defunct Partit per la independencia in the early 1990s with fellow Catalan politicians Pilar Rahola and Angel Colom, who advocated Catalan independence. He was also a prominent member in the contentious 2007 Frankfurt Book Fair, which highlighted Catalan language and culture as a special feature, but excluded other Catalan writers who wrote in other languages, such as Spanish.

Laporta said at the fair that he "hopes that FC Barcelona continues to be an instrument to promote the Catalan language and culture," but that he would feel obliged to "establish the Catalan Republic of Barcelona."

Joan Laporta Legacy

Laporta's presidency ended in 2010, although not without controversy, especially over significant financial losses. Sandro Rosell, his former top adviser, won the election the next year with more than 60% of the vote.

An important

fact about Joan Laporta

is that he understood the significance of the club slogan "Més Que un Club," which translates to "More than a Club," and he worked hard to improve it.

For example, the club never raised ticket prices beyond face value, refusing to take advantage of fans' devotion. The lowest season ticket at the Camp Nou in 2006 cost 69 British pounds, compared to 885 pounds at

FC's Emirates stadium, according to the book "Who Owns Football?" (2011).

Barça was one of the few big European teams without a sponsor until 2006, which was a source of pride for fans. The club collaborated with UNICEF that year, promising to give 1.5 million euros to the charity each year. This wasn't your usual sponsorship, and it reflected Laporta's desire for Barça to stand for the proper principles.

Guardiola's first season in command was one of the most successful in the club's history. The Catalans conquered Europe with their flair and skill while playing "Tiki-taka."

They devastated Real Madrid 6-2 at home and resoundingly defeated

2-0 in the Champions League final in Rome on their way to capturing the legendary triple for the first time (Champions League, La Liga, and Spanish Cup).

The squad performed well night after night, and rising talents like Messi finally secured their position on the international scene. It was a wonderful season that none of Cle's memories would ever be able to match.

The next season, Barça became the first team in history to achieve the Sextuple, capturing six of the six trophies available in a single season.

The majority of fans remember Laporta warmly. He and his staff led the club through institutional, financial, and sporting difficulties, growing membership from 106,135 to 173,701, increasing the yearly budget from €170 to €405 million, and winning twelve major trophies in the process.

Barca achieved 4 La Ligas, three Spanish Supercups, 2 Champions Leagues, one Club World Cup, 1 European Super Cup, 1 Spanish Cup, and 3 Catalan Cups during his seven years with the club. He restored La Masa's prominence, aided Barça in developing their football culture, and guided them through their golden years.

FC Barcelona would not be what it is now, as an institution and a sporting symbol, if it were not for him. Laporta understood how to steer the club in the right path, how to bring it into the twenty-first century, and when to listen to others' counsel.

More than reviving Barça's on-field performance, Laporta understood the significance of marketing the club as a worldwide brand and optimizing income sources.

Barça earned 39 million euros from commercial income, 42 million from television, and 41 million from match-day tickets in 2002/2003, the season before he took control. By 2006/2007, their numbers had risen to 94.8, 106.7, and 88.6 million, respectively.

A slew of television agreements paid out handsomely. In 2003, Televisió de Catalunya signed a five-year contract for an estimated 54 million euros per year. According to the book "Who Owns Football?" 2011, Mediapro, a Spanish television corporation, took over the aforementioned deal in 2006, paying 150 million euros each year until 2008/2009.

The acquisition of Ronaldinho aided the team's ascension to the international scene, and he returned the team's smiles almost immediately. The club collaborated closely with Nike and inked a 30-million-euro-per-year contract in 2005/2006, significantly boosting the club's worldwide profile. Barça also went on tours to Japan, South Korea, and China, which allowed them to connect with supporters outside of Europe and earn more revenue.

Top Signings under Joan Laporta’s Presidency

While the majority of the first-team players who played for the Blaugrana came through the academy, there have been some Barcelona signings that have helped the club turn into the European powerhouse that the world has come to expect.

Eric Abidal

Eric Abidal joined Barcelona under Laporta presidency in 2007 after a successful spell with

. After the appointment of Pep Guardiola, Abidal helped Barcelona become one of the most feared teams in the world. The likes of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry,

, and many more formed one of the greatest teams the world has ever seen.

He won 15 major titles, including two Champions League. But, a tumor in his liver curtailed his blossoming career. Abidal struggled towards his later years. Despite his health concerns, Abidal made 193 appearances and scored two goals during a six-year spell at the Nou Camp. The defender left Barcelona in 2013 and retired from the game two years later.

Gerard Pique

Pique left Barcelona just a year after Joan Laporta started his first tenure. Laporta, though, atoned his mistake and brought the defender back four years later in 2008. The signing proved to be one of the main reasons of Barcelona’s success for the decade to come.

The center-back formed a strong defending wall in the Barcelona defense along with Carlos Puyol. Despite his advancing age, Pique is still one of the most reliable defenders available. He has made 569 appearances, scoring 51 goals for the club so far.

Dani Alves

Dani Alves arrived at Camp Nou along with

in 2008. He helped Barcelona to 23 major titles during eight seasons at Camp Nou. The Brazilian finally left the club in 2016 after making 391 appearances and scoring 21 goals.

Samuel Eto’o

Eto’o joined Barcelona just a year after Laporta took office and soon proved himself and helped Barcelona to their first La Liga title in five seasons. But in 2009, Laporta decided to sell the striker who had made 199 appearances and scored 130 goals. According to many, it was one of the most bizarre transfer dealings made by the Catalonian.

Ronaldinho

Joan Laporta started his first stint at Barcelona by promising the transfer of then Manchester United winger David Beckham. But, the winger decided to join their old rivals Real Madrid instead.

The failure to sign Beckham saw Laporta turn his attention to a young Ronaldinho who was making waves in Europe. The signing proved to be the turning point for Barcelona.

Ronaldinho helped Barcelona back to the summit with his magical playing style. The Brazilian helped the Catalan giants to La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, and Champions League titles. But, Ronaldinho’s time at the top of the summit was short-lived. The Brazilian’s party lifestyle and disciplinary issues, along with the rise of Lionel Messi, saw his time at Barcelona cut short. Having made 207 appearances and scored 94 goals, the one and only football star left Barcelona in 2008.

Joan Laporta social media

Regarding

Joan Laporta social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 888k followers. In the page we can see various pictures of him with the fans and his family.

He also has a Twitter account (

) with more than 478k followers. He often posts new stuff on his Twitter page.

Joan Laporta body measurements

Speaking about

Joan Laporta body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the Catalan politician is 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) and weighs 171 lbs (78 kg).

Joan Laporta net worth and salary

Laporta&Arbós is Joan Laporta's firm. This is an enormous company. As a result, his great net worth stems not just from soccer but also from his work as a lawyer.

Joan Laporta's net worth

is believed to be around $10 million dollars. From his major profession as a politician, he has amassed a sizable fortune.

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