Laporta Issues Ultimatum for Álvarez, Predicts Spain Victory and Yamal's Breakthrough

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is confident that Spain boasts the superior squad and will emerge victorious in the World Cup final against Argentina. He believes Lamine Yamal will play a pivotal role, despite not having showcased his best form throughout the tournament so far.

"I have a very good feeling, a winning feeling. The Spanish national team will dominate possession. Their playing style is very similar to Barça's. We have eight of our players in the squad, and that style has clearly transferred to the national team."

Argentina's strength, on the other hand, lies in their intense approach. I hope it remains a tough match and doesn't escalate beyond that. A lot depends on the referee not being overly lenient.

Of course, it's incredibly difficult to stop Leo, but it's equally challenging to stop Lamine. I believe and hope that tomorrow will be Lamine's game, and he will assert himself, because that's football. There are players who become key figures at certain moments, and now is Lamine's moment," Laporta stated.

The Barcelona president also revisited comments regarding Argentina's star, Julián Álvarez. Two days prior, Atlético Madrid CEO Miguel Ángel Gil Marín declared there was no chance the 'Rojiblancos' would sell the forward to Barcelona, even if the Catalans offered 200 million euros.

"I respect everyone's opinion. I respect Miguel Ángel's opinion and everyone else's. However, there are so many instances where it's said a certain player will never join Barça, and ultimately, they do..."

At Barcelona, we have a different approach. When a player wants to leave, we will always try to facilitate things. A big club cannot afford to keep unhappy players.

Our offer to Atlético is not open-ended. We will give them a reasonable timeframe. I would say until the end of the month," Laporta added.