Barcelona vice president Jordi Cardoner said the team are no longer reliant on superstar Lionel Messi, but that does not mean the club have started to think about a post-Messi era.
Having been the main focal point of Barcelona's attack for several years, over the past two seasons the 28-year-old has formed a world-class attacking triumvirate with fellow South American superstars Neymar and Luis Suarez.
This trio has seen Barca reclaim their status as the best team in the world by winning the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey Treble last season, and Luis Enrique's side look well-placed to repeat that achievement this term.
The Camp Nou outfit's "social" VP told Argentina media group Clarin that, unlike in the case of former Argentina great Diego Maradona at Napoli, Barca had succeeded in ensuring their success was not just based around one big player.
"The Messi-dependence is over," Cardoner said. "Barcelona have been able to move on from that, something which for example did not happen at Napoli with Diego Armando Maradona. When Maradona left, Napoli suffered a lot.
"We have the obligation as directors that the day Messi leaves, the team do not collapse. There was talk of the end of a cycle, but Luis Enrique innovated to reinvent the team and make Barca more vertical. They said Neymar could not play for Barca, and he does. They said Luis Suarez should not join as Barca played with a false No. 9, and nevertheless he does. We have managed an integration."
Asked if Barca were preparing for the day when they would be without the world's best player, Cardoner said he did not think that could ever occur with Messi staying at the Camp Nou for a long time yet.
"I do not believe that will happen," he said. "Because Barca have an obligation for the best player in the world to be playing at Barcelona. And we will never not have the best player. Messi will be and already is the best player in football history and we are convinced he will be the only one of the greatest players to begin and end his career at the same club."
Rosario-born Messi has at times spoken about returning to play for his local club Newells Old Boys later in his career, however Cardoner said he thought this was unlikely.
"It would be a freedom that all should have," he said. "Nobody can ever be tied down to an obligation. If he has made these comments, it is absolutely legitimate, but I am convinced that he will be at Barcelona until he stops playing."
The world's other top players were willing to accept lower salaries to come to Barcelona to play alongside Messi, not replace him, Cardoner claimed.
"Lionel Messi is the biggest name in world football and for us he is the best transmitter of the values of our institution," he said. "These values are effort, sacrifice, humility and style. That allows Barcelona to get great players for less money than another club can offer. For example players like Neymar come to Barcelona as they know they can play with Leo, and want to play with him. The magnetism that he has as the world's best player does not bring just success on the field, but also in other areas."
However, Cardoner insisted that Messi does not have a say in which players he gets as new teammates.
"Barcelona have a process like any other company," he said. "Any signing is considered by the technical directors. Then, it is not that they ask Messi or any other player, but we understand that new players must be well received by the group."
Speaking ahead of Saturday evening's La Liga Clasico against Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, Cardoner recalled the time during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco when his team were not free to sign the best players or their fans free to chant for Catalan independence.
"We suffered a dictatorship like in Argentina, which was that of General Franco," he said. "And in that era there was a favoured team which won European Cups, which was Real Madrid. And that made us suffer a lot.
"We were in a difficult situation and we asked ourselves why [Alfredo] Di Stefano did not play at Barcelona when he had already put on our jersey. Before, the fans could not shout visca Catalunya, they shouted visca Barca and that meant something else. Today, whoever wants to express the shout for independence can do so freely."