Xavi claims Joan Laporta blocked Lionel Messi’s Barcelona return in explosive row with club president | OneFootball

Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has publicly accused club president Joan Laporta of blocking a sensational return for Lionel Messi.

The dispute has escalated into a war of words between both parties, with each offering very different versions of what happened behind the scenes in 2023.

Xavi claims that plans were already in motion for Messi to return to Barcelona after leading Argentina to their first World Cup title in over four decades in 2022.

The former midfielder revealed that he personally reached out to Messi early in 2023 and held several conversations about a mind-boggling comeback.

Xavi said the move had already been agreed and even received approval from La Liga, but the deal collapsed when Laporta intervened.

“The president isn’t telling the truth there,” Xavi said (via MARCA). “Leo [Messi] was signed. 

“In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch, and he told me he was excited about coming back, and I saw it. 

“We talked until March, and I told him, ‘Well, when you give me the OK, I’ll tell the president because I see it as a good fit for him from a footballing perspective.’ 

“The president started negotiating the contract with Leo’s father, and we had the green light from LaLiga, but it was the president who threw everything off.”

Xavi didn’t stop there. He went on to claim that Laporta feared that Messi’s return could create a power struggle within the club.

He alleged that Laporta ultimately decided to stop the transfer despite everything being prepared for what would have been a fitting last dance for the Argentine icon.

“My interest is to tell the truth, and Leo is not coming to Barca because the president doesn’t want him to, not because of La Liga or because Jorge Messi is asking for more money – that’s a lie,” he added. 

“It’s the president and his people who are telling him no, that he can’t afford it, that he has all the power and that Messi is going to mismanage that power.”

However, Laporta has fired back at Xavi’s claims, suggesting that his criticism may come from a place of frustration.

Laporta, who recently opened up about his strained relationship with Messi, said current manager Hansi Flick is doing better than Xavi with largely the same group of players.

“The fact is, when I read these statements from Xavi, I think of Flick,” Laporta told RAC1. “Being Barca president is a tough job, and you have to make difficult decisions. I did what I had to do.

“With Xavi, I saw that we were going to lose and that with Flick we were going to win. I understand that he’s hurting. With the same players, Flick is winning.

“In 2023, I was told Messi wanted to return, and I sent the contract to Jorge Messi.

“He later came to my house and told me that there would be too much pressure back here and that they would prefer to go to Miami.”