Barcelona Presidential Candidate Uses Messi Banner In Campaign Bid

Barcelona presidential candidate Marc Ciria has unfurled a huge banner featuring club legend Lionel Messi in the city centre as he continues his campaign to replace Joan Laporta at the helm of the Catalan giants. Ciria has also added the slogan used by Laporta in a poster near the Santiago Bernabeu in his previous election campaign: "Looking forward to seeing you again."

Barcelona's presidential candidates are busy campaigning ahead of the elections which will take place on March 15th. Laporta is the favourite for victory and will be hoping to continue for another term, but he faces competition from several opponents. Victor Font, who Laporta defeated last time around, is in the running again along with Ciria, Xavier Vilajoana, Daniel Juan, and William Maddock.

Ciria has caught the eye with his eye-catching banner that features a picture of Messi holding up his Barcelona shirt. The image is from Messi's famous celebration after scoring a stoppage-time winner against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2017.

Messi's name often features regularly in presidential campaigns as candidates seek to impress voters. It's no surprise to hear the Argentina star's name mentioned again this time around, with Ciria having previously insisted that club legend must be brought back to the club.

After Messi made a secret visit to the renovated Camp Nou in December, Cirita told reporters: "We want our legends to be able to come back to the club and not have to do it in the middle of the night and hidden. We will do everything possible to achieve it. [Messi] is an indispensable figure for this club. He must come back with a solid support system and a good structure in place. The Messi-Barça relationship has to be like the Michael