Joan Lapor a’s return to the FC Barcelona presidency in 2021 involved several tough decisions.
One of the immediate challenges was addressing the managerial position, then held by club legend Ronald Koeman.
In a recent excerpt from his new book, ‘This is how we have saved Barça,’ revealed by Diario SPORT, Lapor a shared a brutally honest conversation he had with Koeman shortly after taking office.
Lapor a acknowledged Koeman’s heroic status at the club but admitted he did not see him as the right man to lead his sporting project.
"When I became president, Ronald came to see me with his agent, Jansen, and asked me: ‘Am I your coach?’" Lapor a recalled.
"And I told him: ‘Ronald, for me you are a legend; I cried at Wembley, but I have to tell you that you are not,’" he added.
Unsurprisingly, Koeman did not take the message well. "He didn’t take it well at all," Lapor a admitted.
The club president then explained his initial plan, which was to hire Hansi Flick as coach. However, Flick was coaching Germany at the time and was unavailable.
"If it can't be him, it's okay for you to continue," Lapor a told Koeman.
However, this arrangement was short-lived. A painful defeat to Rayo Vallecano in October ultimately led to Koeman's dismissal and the subsequent arrival of Xavi Hernández, whom Lapor a praised for bringing new momentum to the sporting project during a difficult time.
While the sacking strained their relationship, Lapor a confirmed time has healed the wounds between them.
"At first, the relationship with Koeman was affected, but over time we have recomposed it. Ronald is a great professional and a great person," he concluded.
