'Lionel Messi Is A Normal Person,' Barcelona Presidential Candidate Says

Barcelona presidential candidate Victor Font said Lionel Messi is just a normal person.

Throughout his stellar career, Messi has been viewed as an extraordinary player. Fans, peers and teammates are all convinced that the Barcelona superstar is already one of the greatest of all time. He has been very influential and it is no secret that in Barca, Messi is one of the biggest voices in the room. However, this could be changed once Font becomes elected as the new Barcelona president.

In a recent interview with El Periodico (via Besoccer.com), Font spoke candidly about his future plans for the Catalan club. The shrewd businessman addressed Messi and according to him, the captain should be treated “as normally as possible.”

"I'm convinced it's not at all difficult dealing with Messi. Talking to Xavi makes me reaffirm that. Messi is a normal person, he's ultracompetitive, the best in history. Sometimes it seems like people are too scared of Messi. You have to treat him as normally as possible. He wants to win for the club, he wants to win more Champions Leagues and between all of us we have to help him to be able to do that," Font said.

Font also revealed that he would like Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez to become the coach should he finally takes over the team. "I'm confident in his innate ability," Font said Xavi.

Overall, Font is firm about his main goal for Barcelona. The presidential hopeful said, "Renovation work is very urgent," concluding that there will be immediate changes as soon as he steps in.

While Barcelona have been continuously linked to rebuilding, one thing remains unchanged – Messi will stay at Camp Nou. Following the news about the “special exit clause” inserted in his contract, the Barcelona star decided not to exercise the terms which could see him leaving the Catalans for free this summer. Messi will still be a Barcelona player at least until next year.

LaLiga is set to officially return on June 11. Barcelona will take on Son Moix as their comeback opponents after being on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. Once again, Messi is on the verge of breaking records when LaLiga returns. It has been known that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner is closing in on Pele’s all-time club goal record (643) with 627. Messi is also expected to win his seventh Pichichi award to surpass LaLiga legend Telmo Zarra who currently ties him with six.