Joan Laporta walked into a room full of microphones in Istanbul on Tuesday with twelve days to go until the Clasico, and he knew exactly which word was going to detonate. So he refused to say it.

Asked about the storm around Real Madrid, Laporta told reporters, in comments reported by Goal, that he would only be allowed to answer if he stayed clear of “the Vinicius issue”. It was a line delivered with a smile and zero follow-up, aimed squarely at the forward whose place in the Clasico squad has been in doubt since his red card last weekend.

Vinicius Junior was sent off during Real Madrid’s win over Villarreal after a VAR review, and his participation at Spotify Camp Nou on 25 October is in serious doubt if the Spanish federation hands down the two-game ban his club expects.

Pressed again on the goings-on at the Santiago Bernabeu, Laporta waved it away.

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“I’ll talk about Barça. If you ask me about Barça, I’ll answer.”

‘The best in Europe and the world’

He had plenty to say about Barça. Laporta described the team he leaves on the pitch as the standout act of European football right now.

“Barça, with all due humility, is playing the best football in Europe and the world,” the president said, before gesturing at the competition. “There are other teams that are very good, like PSG or Bayern Munich, and they are also contenders to win competitions.”

The record under Hansi Flick is doing the arguing for him. Barcelona have won their first nine matches of the 2026-27 campaign across all competitions, equalling their best domestic start and breaking a club record from a century ago for consecutive wins from the start of a season.

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Laporta pointed the credit at the dressing room.

“The atmosphere and team spirit are key to everything, and Flick and his team, and Deco and his team, have achieved this.”

‘I hope Lamine wins, because he deserves it’

The warmest words were saved for Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old forward is on the shortlist for the 2026 Ballon d’Or, to be awarded at the London Palladium on 26 October, the day after the Clasico.

“I hope Lamine wins the Ballon d’Or, because he deserves it,” Laporta said.

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He had been more expansive on the same subject three days earlier, in an interview with Mundo Deportivo, where he put the teenager’s case alongside last season’s silverware.

“It’s only fair that he wins it. He’s had a great season and has won some very important titles, such as La Liga and the World Cup.”

Perfect 10 in sight, Raphinha still out

Barcelona can make it ten wins from ten on Tuesday night at Rams Park, with kick-off set for 10pm local time. Raphinha, the squad’s top scorer this season, is unavailable with a thigh injury picked up on international duty, but Laporta told Mundo Deportivo the Brazilian is on track to return next week.

“He got injured, came back and has recovered here. The doctors say he’ll be available for the match in Paris.”

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Barcelona travel to Parc des Princes to face Paris Saint-Germain on 21 October.

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