Why is Laporta chilling with Ronaldinho in Central Asian country on transfer deadline? Answered
Joan Laporta has promised Barca fans a few signings before the transfer deadline on 1 September, but he may not be the one making them.
That's because Laporta is physically not in Barcelona or even Europe.
Instead, the Barca president is in Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia with a population of around 6,500,000.
To give you a perspective, it would take an almost 11-hour direct flight, if such existed, to reach the capital city of Bishkek from Barcelona.
Let's not beat about the bush — Laporta is in Kyrgyzstan to open not one but two Barca academies: one in Bishkek and another in Jalal-Abad, a city near the Uzbekistan border.
Laporta will not be alone, and in fact, he won't even be the star of the occasion. That's because the likes of Carles Puyol, Edgar Davids, Ludovic Giuly, Rivaldo, and RONALDINHO are all in Kyrgyzstan for the game against Asian Legends.
The legendary Brazilian is expected to fly in on Tuesday 29 August but has already welcomed the people of Kyrgyzstan on Instagram.
Watch this squad for the game and try to say with a straight face you wouldn't want to be in Kyrgyzstan right now.
For Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia in general this is a huge deal because the region is not known for producing much footballing talent, but the interest in football is there.
This may change with Barca's two new academies (and finally, many kids will finally stop wearing fake Al Nassr shirts with Ronaldo's name). In Asia, the club already has five academies in Japan, four in India and one in Singapore.
This is what Barca's academy in Bishkek is expected to look like. It will include a 10,000-seat stadium with a park around it, the academy itself, a hotel and a business centre and many other facilities.
Hopefully, the club will expand its geography, and we will see Kyrgyz talent in Barca's teams in 5-10 years.
