Barcelona president Joan Laporta has expressed his pride at seeing the World Cup final shaped so heavily by players developed at the club’s La Masia academy, describing Lionel Messi as the past and Lamine Yamal as the future. Speaking to Spanish radio station RMC1 from New York, where he is based ahead of Sunday’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Laporta reflected on the remarkable presence of Barcelona talent across both sides. Eight current Barcelona players are part of the Spain squad, while Messi, who spent two decades at the club, captains Argentina.
“Messi has reached the final and I am delighted,” Laporta said. “He is a source of pride for La Masia. Messi is the past and present, while Lamine is the present and future.” He went on to name several others contributing to the occasion. “If we add Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, who has had a superb World Cup, Dani Olmo, Gavi, Pedri and Ferran Torres, it is something truly extraordinary.”
Laporta described the final as further proof of Barcelona’s unrivalled ability to produce world-class talent consistently. “We are enormously proud of our eight players in the final. As president, I am deeply grateful to have players of this calibre representing the club on the biggest stage.” He also offered his assessment of the match itself, noting that Argentina play with greater directness while Spain’s style mirrors Barcelona’s collective approach. “At international level, with these kinds of players, this could be the greatest match ever played,” he said.
