Barcelona FC president Joan Laporta is ‘open' to playing a competitive La Liga fixture in US

CNN

2 days ago

FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta says the club is 'open' and 'available' to play an official league match in the United States next season.
In an interview with CNN Sports from Seoul during the club's Asian tour, Laporta says discussions had been held about the possible fixture over the last year and that La Liga – Spain's top league – is excited about the opportunity.
'We are delighted to go to the United States every year because we feel loved, we feel respected as a club, we have plenty of fans there,' Laporta says.
'For a La Liga (match), I think that will be very interesting. I know that the president of La Liga (Javier Tebas) is really keen on celebrating this official game in the States.
'And for (Barcelona), it will be a great honor, a great honor to participate in this event that will be an official game of La Liga, but at the same time will be a big event in the States.'
Laporta says there were plans discussed last season about holding a game in the US, but that things never got formalized.
He told CNN Sports this week that he had 'heard' there could be another opportunity this season and that he would be happy for Barça to be involved.
'We are available and open. We are at the disposal of La Liga in this sense,' he adds.
While a competitive Spanish league match has never been played overseas, this is not the first time that the idea has been mooted by those in charge.
In 2018, La Liga announced it was planning to hold an official match in the US, but the proposal was quickly shut down.
Spanish players at the time were 'outraged' by the decision and even threatened strike action. The proposal, which involved a game between Barça and fellow Catalan club Girona, was then shelved by La Liga boss Tebas.
Now, though, it appears the league is pushing the idea once again.
'We are a club that belongs to La Liga, and we are responsible because we want to commercialize La Liga as best as possible. Again, I'm open and (Barcelona) is at the disposal of La Liga,' Laporta says.
If a game involving the Blaugrana is hosted by the US next season, many fans will flock to whichever stadium to watch the club's star player, Lamine Yamal.
The 18-year-old – who has recently been given the mythical No. 10 shirt – has been nothing short of magical in his short career to date and has some claiming that he's the best player in the world already.
The winger has won two La Liga titles and helped Spain to European Championship glory in 2024, while lighting up last year's Champions League with an array of impressive performances.
Both his impact on the pitch and his playing style have earned him comparisons with former Barça talisman Lionel Messi, who is considered by many as the greatest soccer player of all time.
Messi is now playing in the US with Inter Miami and has been behind a huge popularity boost in the MLS.
Laporta, though, is wary of comparing Yamal to Messi and wants the youngster to instead focus on his own game.
'Lamine Yamal is Lamine Yamal, Leo Messi was Leo Messi,' Laporta says.
'Leo Messi has been the best player in the world, and Lamine, I think that in his position nowadays, is the best player in the world.
'Messi won everything, Messi did everything, for me probably the best player in history, but the world continues and appears new geniuses. The new geniuses that are appearing nowadays are players like Lamine Yamal, like Pedri, like Raphinha.'
He adds: 'In the case of Lamine, there are not too many players like him because he's a genius and he's the top level.'
Yamal recently signed a contract extension with FC Barcelona, a deal which keeps the teenage superstar with the Blaugrana until the end of the 2030-31 season.
In an exclusive interview with CNN Sports in January, the phenom said that Barça was the 'club of my life' and that he was enjoying his time at the Catalan club.
Laporta says he's conscious of working with the player's family and agent to help the forward have the best career possible and is leaning on his experience with Messi as a way of creating the best possible environment for Yamal to continue flourishing.
'I think that the most important thing is that he enjoys the team. It is very important that he feels good, that he can stay with his colleagues on the pitch, enjoying playing football, and out of the pitch, enjoying as a boy that likes a normal life,' Laporta says.
'He is very professional and he knows that to be the best and to be at the top, he needs to be fit, he needs to train, he needs to follow the advice of the coach and the people that are around him and basically to feel happy, to feel that he's enjoying playing football.'
Barça is currently in Asia on a preseason tour – where the Blaugrana beat FC Seoul 7-3 on Thursday before playing Daegu FC on August 4 – as it prepares for another tough campaign in both Spain and the Champions League.
Laporta is hoping to build on a domestic double-winning season last term and is excited to see some of the new additions to the squad, including English forward Marcus Rashford.
The striker joined from Manchester United on a season-long loan earlier this month, in a bid to revive his career which has stagnated in recent seasons.
📞 "Sí... És oficial."Rashford segueix les passes de Lineker. pic.twitter.com/hWwj3BrOog The Barça president says Rashford was once the best player in England and hopes a move to different league can bring about a return of that form.
'We signed this player because he was really committed to coming to Barcelona,' Laporta says.
'He's fast, he's strong, he's committed, and again, he did his best in order to sign for Barcelona. He was pushing his agent, he was talking to the club, and at the same time to Manchester United.'
Fierce rival Real Madrid will once again look to get in the way of Barcelona's pursuit of both domestic and European glory next season.
Former Madrid star midfielder and Bundesliga-winning coach with Bayer Leverkusen Xabi Alonso has taken over the reins at Los Blancos and will be tasked with molding the group of world-class players – including Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Jr. and Jude Bellingham – in the Spanish capital into a winning machine.
Laporta, though, is confident the Blaugrana can keep the upper-hand over their rival, as they did last season.
'I think that we were a better team than them last season. They have great players, and they signed a new coach and we'll see, but Real Madrid will always will be our rival,' he says.
'Especially in the Spanish league, I think that will be a great competition because both teams are giving good football.'
The reigning La Liga champion will kick off its new league campaign against Mallorca on August 16.
While Laporta is open to new ideas about the location where games might be played, he does admit that the 'soccer calendar is too tight.'
His comments come after a summer in which many club teams were involved in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, leaving players with an even smaller window to recover and prepare for the 2025-26 season.
It continues a trend of an ever-increasing number of matches top-level players are expected to compete in, between the expanding club game and national team commitments.
And the Barça boss believes soccer authorities need to find a way to 'reduce the number of games' to help players and clubs alike.
'As a club, we have to have more players than usually we have (to play more matches), and this means that we have to invest more and this means that we have to do our best in order to have a more competitive squad,' he said.
'Of course, they are talented players but also they are human beings and there is a limit. They have to have time to rest and have time to enjoy and I think that is a matter to take into consideration.'
Laporta's comments to CNN Sports come as Real Madrid had a request to push back its opening game of the new season denied by the Spanish soccer federation (RFEF), according to media reports in Spain.
Los Blancos had asked for their home match against Osasuna on August 19 to be postponed because of their participation in the Club World Cup – where it lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals on July 9 – but Madrid's appeal was reportedly rejected.
CNN Sports has contacted RFEF and Real Madrid for comment.
Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera admitted that the turnaround for Real was not enough for its players to be fully prepared.
'Any person with a little bit of thinking understands that it's not enough time for Madrid to get to the game at 100%,' Herrera told Cadena SER's 'El Larguero' program. 'It seemed like a logical decision for us.
'From my point of view, I think it hurts Real Madrid. … I'm thinking about my work colleagues and if I were in their shoes, I would like people to know I couldn't get to the match at 200%.'