Joan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, expressed his pride in the Catalan club's presence at the Ballon d'Or ceremony held in Paris, affirming his desire for one of the team’s players to win the award.

Laporta said: "What I want is for a player from Barcelona to win; being here represents a matter of respect for football, for the Ballon d'Or award, and for the nominees. It is one of the most important events in the world of football."

He added: "It is an honor to be here; we have nominees for the Kopa award, the best female player, the Ballon d'Or, and the best goalkeeper. We also have Hansi Flick, who graciously attended. You know Hansi Flick works hard, but he understands that the club must be well represented; for me, he is the best coach in the world."

Regarding Lamine Yamal's chances, Laporta clarified: "I see his victory as very possible even if there are other favored nominees. Last year there was a surprise, and we are all waiting with anticipation and a lot of hope for one of our players to win. For me, it wouldn’t be a surprise; our players are the best."

He continued: "Having players from Barcelona among the nominees is wonderful; competing with the best is a pride and a motivation to continue working and to show our style of presenting sports and football to the world. For Barcelona, this is also a matter of values; we have Aletanan, Alexia, Lamine, Raphinha, Pedri, and Lewandowski, and this is a source of pride for the club. We are working for collective success that brings individual achievements with it, and they deserve it."

Specifically about Lamine Yamal, he said: "I see him as fantastic, calmly excited like his teammates; I like how they handle such events. He has an injury in the pelvic area, and he says he might be ready for the Real Sociedad match, but I see him excited."

Regarding the team's return to Spotify Camp Nou, Laporta stated: "It depends a lot on what the municipal officials say; we have done our part. We have the financial director's certificate, the construction oversight certificate, the civil defense report, and the environmental report. Both the league and UEFA confirmed that the stadium is ready to host matches; we are just waiting for the initial usage permit. We know that these procedures need to be done, and we do not want to apply additional pressure, but we believe that it is very close, and we will see what the municipal officials say."

Laporta concluded his remarks by saying: "We are in the final stages of inspections, which have become very frequent. We are ready for everything; all the notes requested from us have been addressed. We hope it will be as soon as possible. We have three stadiums: Spotify Camp Nou, the Olympic Stadium of Luis Companís, and Johan Cruyff Stadium. We are not in a stadium crisis, but we know that there are sporting, economic, and reputational reasons that make the return to Camp Nou necessary. I am confident that everyone will realize that the return is close, but it is no longer in our hands; we have done our job, and the decision is now in the hands of the municipality."