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Marc Ciria MessiMarc Ciria X

Barcelona presidential candidate unfurls huge Lionel Messi banner in city centre & uses slogan from previous Joan Laporta campaign

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Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
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Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.

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Over 28 monthsSave 73%
Protect 14 devices with the top ExpressVPN plan
ExpressVPN

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Over 28 monthsSave 67%
Protect 10 devices with high-speed VPN
ExpressVPN

Basic

Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's entry-level Basic plan gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.

The VPN can be applied across 10 different devices simultaneously, and offers Lite Protection that blocks ads and malicious and adult websites. A dedicated IP is available to be purchased as an add-on.

Additionally, ExpressVPN's Basic plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 10MB/month private email relay plus 10 shared aliases.

There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save more than 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 80%.


Over 28 monthsSave 80%
Advanced protection across 11 devices with high-speed VPN
ExpressVPN

Advanced

Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.

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Additionally, ExpressVPN's Advanced plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 100MB/month private email relay plus 50 shared aliases and a custom domain, and ExpressKeys, which gives users a password management facility for an unlimited number of passwords plus a 2FA authenticator.

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  • Election campaigns underway in Barcelona

    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.

  • Lionel Messi Barcelona Camp Nou return 2025Getty/Instagram

    Ciria wants Messi back

    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 Jordan-Nike one. It must go above and beyond, from the commercial and institutional areas of the club to the sponsors and development of players at La Masia. With the best player in the club's history, we can do so many things and earn so much money. Bringing him home is essential if we want to emerge from the financial situation we are in. It's not about convincing him with a statue or a tribute game. It's about an agreement that makes the best sportsman on the planet Barça's biggest ambassador."


  • A Messi problem for Laporta?

    Font has also dropped Messi's name into the conversation in his campaign. He told Mundo Deportivo: "The first call I'll make when we win the elections will be to Leo Messi. It will be the first phone call I make."

    Yet it's been a different story for Laporta, who has a strained relationship with Messi following his controversial exit from the club in 2021. Messi is said to be "very, very angry" with Laporta over his departure and the Barcelona chief has admitted the saga "has made him sad."

    Messi is currently contracted to Inter Miami through to the end of the 2028 MLS season but has previously spoken of a desire to return to Barcelona. He told Sport: "I really want to go back there, we miss Barcelona a lot. My wife and I, the kids, are constantly talking about Barcelona and the idea of moving back. We have our house there, everything, so that's what we want. I'm really looking forward to going back to the stadium when it's finished because since I left for Paris, I haven't been back to Camp Nou, and then they moved to Montjuic."

    It would be little surprise to see Messi take up a future role at Barcelona once his playing days are over, and he will no doubt be watching events at Camp Nou closely ahead of next month's big vote.

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    What comes next?

    Barcelona's presidential candidates need 10,000 signatures to make it through the pre-candidacy process by March 2nd. The final candidates will be revealed after that date ahead of the elections on March 15th, the same day that Hansi Flick's side are due to take on Sevilla in La Liga.