Joan Laporta wanted to personally congratulate the squad after winning the Copa del Rey and he did not wait for the hotel or the plane but wanted to do it in the same stadium in La Cartuja. The Blaugrana leader went down to the locker room where the players were still celebrating the achievement of the title.
The president, accompanied by the sports vice president, Rafa Yuste, He began by greeting each member of the staff one by one. One of those who received a most effusive and heartfelt hug was captain Leo Messi, who does not stop receiving flattery from the brand new president, in his desire to ensure that the Argentine crack continues in the Catalan entity. Another who also received a warm greeting from the president was Ousmane Dembélé. And it is that everyone knows that Laporta has a special weakness for the French striker, to the point that he would be considering renewing him this summer, since his contract ends in 2022.
One by one, the president was congratulating all the players, even those who had not been able to play, such as Riqui Puig, whom he gave an affectionate slap, or goalkeeper Neto, who could not hide his disappointment at being injured.
Laporta took advantage of his presence in the dressing room to take pictures with the players and even had time to put on a Blaugrana scarf around the neck and sing the Barça anthem a cappella with the players and the famous 'Champions, champions!'. Who he did not meet at the time was Ronald Koeman, so he had to wait at the hotel to greet the Dutch coach.
Laporta, totally unleashed (he entered with the mask but soon took it off and did not put it on until he left the locker room), he wanted to show his gratitude to the players for the effort they had made: he took the Cup and started screaming. “Come on! We have it, we already have it!”
Although the absolute climax came after taking the group photo with the Cup in the middle. Laporta turned around and, addressing the entire squad, harangued them between shouts: “And now for the League!”. A request that raised euphoria among the players, who applauded and effusively chanted the president's reaction.