Photo combo of Messi, Xavi and Laporta
Xavi Hernandez said Joan Laporta blocked Messi’s return to Barcelona because he was worried about a power struggle, ESPN has reported.
In an interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi said Messi’s return to Barca in 2023 looked set, right after his World Cup win with Argentina.
LaLiga had even cleared the finances.
But Xavi claims Laporta pulled the plug at the last minute.
“The president told me that if Messi came back, he would make a war against him,” Xavi said, adding that this fear of conflict was the real reason the deal fell through, not money or demands from Messi’s camp.
Xavi admitted the episode briefly strained his relationship with Messi, though the two are back in contact now. Laporta, who is running for re-election as Barça president, said he was surprised and hurt by Xavi’s comments.
He insisted the Messi camp chose Miami and suggested Xavi’s remarks came from lingering bitterness over his 2024 dismissal.
The bombshell comes at a tense time for Barcelona, with club members set to vote in the presidential election this weekend.
