Joan Laporta just can’t help himself. The Barcelona president has taken another swipe at Real Madrid over the signing of Kylian Mbappé, doubling down on comments he made all the way back in the summer of 2024 — and, with Madrid reportedly having gone trophyless across the Frenchman’s time at the Bernabéu so far, Laporta clearly feels vindicated enough to say it louder this time.
What Laporta Said — Then and Now
Cast your mind back to when Mbappé’s arrival in Madrid was confirmed. While most of the football world was buzzing about one of the biggest transfers in history, Laporta was busy pouring cold water on the whole thing. Speaking to Mundo Deportivo at the time — as cited by transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano — the Barça chief warned: “I don’t envy Real Madrid for having Mbappé as a new signing. This distorts the dressing room, for sure. You have to sell a player, don’t you? Because they (Mbappé and Vinícius Jr.) are not going to play in the same place…”
Two years on, Laporta has gone back to that well with relish. In fresh comments once again cited by Romano, the Barça president reiterated his stance in no uncertain terms: “I said it! Having more than one rooster in the same chicken coop can’t work, never. The priority in football is the team and the spirit of the team. If you don’t have these things, the project won’t work.”
He didn’t stop there. Using the moment to shine a light on what he sees as Barcelona’s contrasting approach, Laporta added: “This is one of Barcelona’s strengths. We do have great talents, La Masía players, players who come from other football cultures, and then manage to form a team among them with harmony that works well. And that is thanks to a great coach, Hansi Flick, and also to a sports director, Deco, who works to improve this team.”
Why This Stings — and Why It Shouldn’t
Look, nobody enjoys being lectured by Joan Laporta. The man runs a club that has had its own very public financial and sporting chaos in recent years, so the self-congratulatory tone here will grate on every Madridista. But as much as it hurts to admit, the comments aren’t coming entirely out of nowhere — and that’s precisely why they’ll sting in the corridors of the Bernabéu.
The integration of Mbappé alongside Vinícius Jr. was always going to be one of the most fascinating — and complicated — footballing puzzles of this generation. Both players are elite-level, ball-dominant attackers who thrive in similar spaces on the pitch. Balancing the egos, the minutes, and the tactical demands of two world-class left-sided forwards was never going to be straightforward, and the debate around how best to deploy them together has followed Madrid throughout this period. From a purely analytical standpoint, questions around their positional overlap are legitimate and were raised by coaches and tacticians long before Laporta ever opened his mouth on the subject.
That said, it’s worth keeping perspective. Real Madrid don’t need Joan Laporta to explain how to build a football team. This is the club of Zidane, of Ronaldo, of Benzema — a club that has repeatedly found ways to accommodate generational talents and come out the other side with trophies. The Bernabéu has seen superstar co-existence done brilliantly before, and there’s no reason to believe the current squad can’t figure it out.
What This Means for the Madrid–Barça Rivalry
Beyond the specifics of the Mbappé debate, this episode is a reminder of just how relentlessly the rivalry between these two clubs plays out off the pitch as well as on it. Laporta is a president who enjoys the theatre of it all — he knows these comments will generate headlines, rile up the Madrid fanbase, and keep his club in the conversation even when there’s no Clásico on the horizon.
For Real Madrid supporters, the best response is always the same: performances and trophies. Words from the Camp Nou president mean nothing if Madrid are lifting silverware come May. The Madridista faithful will be desperate to see Mbappé, Vinícius, and the rest of the squad prove Laporta wrong in the most emphatic way possible — on the pitch, where it actually counts.
One thing is for certain: the moment Madrid start collecting trophies again, you won’t hear quite so much crowing from across the city of Barcelona. Until then, expect Laporta to keep talking.
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