FC Barcelona and the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya have selected writer Jordi Puntí as the winner of the 18th edition of the Manuel Vázquez Montalbán International Sports Journalism Award.

Jordi Puntí (Manlleu, 1967) is a writer, translator and columnist, and a leading figure in contemporary Catalan literature. A graduate in Romance Philology, Puntí first came to prominence with his debut book Pell d’armadillo in 1998, but achieved major recognition in 2010 with the novel Lost Luggage, which was widely acclaimed and translated into 18 languages. In 2018 he published Tot Messi. Exercicis d’estil, a literary and deeply personal portrait of the former Barça player, for which he won the Panenka Award and was shortlisted for the prestigious Telegraph Sports Book Award in the UK. Translated into ten languages, five years later he released an expanded edition (Tot Messi i més) incorporating Leo Messi’s departure from FC Barcelona and Argentina’s World Cup triumph. More recently, his novel Confeti won the Sant Jordi Prize in 2023. Alongside his literary career, Puntí has built a solid journalistic trajectory, contributing to outlets such as El País, El Periódico, Panenka, Líbero, L’Avenç and Catalunya Ràdio, among others.

The jury, which met on 9 April at the FC Barcelona Commercial Office, recognised Puntí for his commitment to going beyond sport in the strict sense and for his ability to connect it with social and cultural commentary in the Montalbán tradition. The jury (made up of Ramon Besa, Ernest Folch, Sergi Pàmies, Jaume Pujol-Galcerán, Borja de Riquer, Josep Maria Solé Sabaté, Santiago Segurola, Mònica Terribas and Jordi Basté) also highlighted his strong ties to FC Barcelona, as well as his internationally recognised work on Lionel Messi, one of the most important figures in the Club’s history. The meeting was also attended by the Vice President and Secretary of the Club, Josep Cubells.

Jointly promoted by FC Barcelona and the Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, the award has been presented since 2004 in memory of the journalist and writer Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. It comprises two categories: cultural/political journalism and sports journalism. In the sporting category, the award recognises journalistic careers that view sport as a cultural phenomenon that helps explain the societies in which it exists.

The award will be presented on Wednesday 22 April in the evening in the presidential box of Spotify Camp Nou, during the build-up to the men’s first team match against Celta, and on the eve of Sant Jordi’s Day.

Previous winners

2004: Patrick Mignon
2005: Joaquim Maria Puyal
2006: Juan Villoro
2007: Simon Kuper
2008: Candido Cannavò
2009: Ramon Besa
2010: Eduardo Galeano
2011: Santiago Segurola
2012: Nick Hornby
2013: Sergi Pàmies
2014: Eduardo Gonçalves de Andrade ‘Tostão’
2017: Michael Robinson
2018: Emanuela Audisio
2019: Jorge Valdano
2022-23: Gary Lineker
2024: Sally Jenkins
2025: Panenka magazine

The award was not presented in 2015, 2016 or 2021, and was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.

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