Barcelona president Joan Laporta has emphasised youth development and collective identity in an interview with L'Équipe conducted before the club's match against PSG. He also set out sharply different views of Barcelona's relationships with PSG and Real Madrid.
Laporta said Barcelona wanted to defend their La Liga title while placing particular emphasis on the Champions League. He linked those ambitions to principles developed through the club's academy.
Trust in La Masia
The president identified trust as central to developing young male and female players. He described a framework involving position, pressure, precision, passion and possession, supported by quick circulation of the ball.
Laporta praised Lamine Yamal as a player who combines those principles with individual creativity. He attributed the smooth extension of Yamal's contract to 2031 to the forward's attachment to Barcelona and confidence in its environment.
Different views of PSG and Real
Laporta described a respectful, friendly relationship with PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi. He also praised Luis Enrique's influence, connecting the coach's success in Paris with ideas shaped during his time at Barcelona.
His comments about Real Madrid were more confrontational. Asked about Kylian Mbappé, Laporta used a metaphor about two roosters in one coop to argue for collective priorities over individual status.
Those criticisms represent Laporta's assessment, rather than independent findings about Real's dressing room or institutional standing. He contrasted them with the Barcelona model he supports: academy graduates working alongside recruits from other football cultures under Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco.