Barcelona president uncovers shocking details of Xavi’s dismissal – ‘He wanted to change several first-team players’ | OneFootball

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has finally given his detailed version of the dramatic chain of events that led to Xavi Hernandez’s dismissal last year. 

The saga, which unfolded between January and May 2024, was one of the most turbulent managerial episodes the club had experienced in recent times. 

What made the situation even more chaotic was that Xavi himself initiated the storm when he publicly announced his intention to step down at the end of the season, only to reverse that decision weeks later.

Those months were filled with tension behind closed doors, disagreements over sporting direction and misaligned expectations. 

Laporta explains the event

Now, speaking to Esport3, Laporta has laid out his perspective on exactly what went wrong. 

He began by revisiting the moment Xavi changed his mind about leaving, saying,

“Xavi had announced his departure himself, saying he would leave at the end of the season.

“Then he asked to meet me at my home to explain that, in reality, he wanted to continue and felt the need to. 

“I asked him only one question – ‘Xavi, do you believe in the team?’ He replied: ‘I believe 100% and I’ll make these players champions.’”

Xavi left Barcelona in 2024. (Photo by LLUIS GENE/AFP via Getty Images)

Laporta then recalled how everything shifted barely a week later, when Xavi made comments in a press conference that contradicted the confidence he had expressed privately. 

“A week later, I heard him say in a press conference that he and the team would need two years to be competitive. I thought: ‘What is this?’”

The uncertainty continued to grow when Xavi later approached Deco, the sporting director, with suggestions about restructuring the squad. 

Laporta revealed how those conversations impacted him and forced him to reassess the situation.  

“He later spoke with Deco about the possibility of changing several first-team players. As you know, I have a lot of respect for Xavi, and his words affected me deeply. 

“We’ve had to make tough decisions before with Messi, Alba, Busquets, Pique, even with Xavi and Koeman… but at Barça, the institution always comes first. 

“It is above the players, the presidents, and the coaches,” he concluded.

It is clear that although attempts were made to steady the ship, Laporta ultimately relieved Xavi of his duties on 24 May, bringing an end to a cycle that had become increasingly unsustainable.