On the whole, it has been a successful 2023 for Barcelona. They won La Liga for the first time in four years, while also picking up the Spanish Super Cup back in January – a trophy that they will hope to retain next month. However, the second half of the year has been a struggle, which sees them only fourth in the current La Liga standings, seven points behind Real Madrid and Girona.
Joan Laporta spoke to Sport at the year draws to a close, and during the interview, he outlined his “three great wishes” for Barcelona in 2024: one sporting, one social and one economic.
The first thing that Laporta wants is for Barcelona to return to the new Spotify Camp Nou by the 29th of November. At this stage, this looks possible, given that Limak have continually met their deadlines on the construction of the stadium so far.
The second is for Barcelona to win titles. Next month’s Spanish Super Cup would be a start, while they are on a level-playing field in the Champions League and Copa del Rey. La Liga looks the least likely at this stage.
The third wish that Laporta has made is for Barcelona to meet its budget for this season, which sits at €859m. This would see the club make €11m profit, which is needed given the current state of their finances.
It remains to be seen how many of these objectives Barcelona can meet. The latter is perhaps the most crucial in terms of the long-term future of the club, but the other two are also very important, especially to Laporta.