Laporta announces reconciliation with Gil Marin.. Is Real Madrid the only rival now?

After weeks of heightened tension between Barcelona and Atlético over the Julián Álvarez case, Joan Laporta announced that the relationship with Atlético's CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has returned to normal.

Laporta spoke about his meeting with Marin during the General Assembly of the European Clubs Association in Copenhagen: "We have reconciled, and Marin and I have resumed our relationship."

Javier Marín had launched a strong attack on Barcelona about a month ago, following the Catalan club's move to sign Julián Álvarez. However, the tone has quickly changed with Laporta confirming that the disagreement is now in the past and that personal and institutional relations between the two clubs have returned to their normal course.

This shift comes at a time when Barcelona's relationship with several European and Spanish institutions and clubs has seen a clear change. After years of tension with LaLiga, the Spanish Football Federation, UEFA, and the European Clubs Association, Laporta has recently moved to rebuild these relationships.

During his second term, Laporta has entered into multiple clashes, most notably his disagreements with Javier Tebas and LaLiga, as well as the crisis surrounding Gavi's registration and his position on the UEFA Europa League project. His relationship with Paris Saint-Germain and Nasser Al-Khelaifi has also experienced periods of tension.

On the European level, Barcelona has also worked to restore its presence within the European Clubs Association, to which it has returned as a full member. Meanwhile, Laporta has become more present in meetings and communications with European football officials, and his relationship with Aleksander Čeferin, the president of UEFA, has improved.

In contrast, the relationship with Real Madrid seems completely different, as Laporta recently said about the royal club: "Their behavior has been unacceptable, and relations have become non-existent," just weeks before the clásico match.

According to an analysis by AS, these moves reflect Laporta's intention to reduce conflict fronts with various parties and focus more on the dispute with Real Madrid, at a time when Barcelona is regaining its presence within influential institutions in European football.