Former Barcelona legend and current football manager Xavi Hernandez has publicly accused club president Joan Laporta of sabotaging Lionel Messi’s potential return to the Catalan side. Messi, who left Barcelona in 2021 under controversial circumstances, was reportedly ready to rejoin the club after his stint at Paris Saint-Germain, but the move never materialized. Xavi insists that the failure was not due to financial constraints, as Laporta claimed, but stemmed from personal reasons and fear of conflict.
Messi’s Near Return and the Controversy
Lionel Messi left Barcelona in tears in 2021 after Laporta withdrew a contract offer on the day he was supposed to sign. Despite heavy speculation about a reunion following Messi’s time at Paris Saint-Germain, the transfer did not happen, and Messi ultimately joined Inter Miami.
Xavi revealed that Messi had been eager to return in early 2023, shortly after winning the World Cup. “In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch, and he told me he was keen to come back… We talked until March, and I told him, ‘Okay, when you give me the OK, I’ll tell the president,’” Xavi explained. According to him, La Liga had already approved Messi’s return, and negotiations with Messi’s father were underway.
Laporta’s Alleged Motivations
Xavi claims that Laporta blocked Messi’s return because he feared a power struggle. Messi and his family reportedly held grievances against Laporta from his exit in 2021, and the president allegedly admitted he could not allow Messi to come back and “wage war” against him.
“So I called his father and said, ‘This can’t be, Jorge,’ and he said, ‘Talk to the president.’ I insisted that we’d been talking with Leo for five months… everything was ready for a ‘Last Dance’ like Jordan’s,” Xavi said. This account paints a picture of a nearly finalized deal that was ultimately stopped by Laporta himself, rather than external factors like finances or league rules.
Xavi’s Perspective and Political Context
Xavi stressed that his goal is to tell the truth, not to position himself for a return to the club. He voiced support for Laporta’s opponent, Victor Font, ahead of Barcelona’s upcoming presidential elections, but denied any agreement to return under Font’s leadership.
🚨 Fermín López: "We have to try to recover well, on Tuesday another battle similar to today's awaits us. We had to hold the lead, especially knowing that Madrid won yesterday." 🎙️
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 7, 2026
“I now think I’ll never return to Barca… Leo isn’t coming to Barça because the president doesn’t want him, not because of La Liga or because Jorge Messi is asking for more money – that’s a lie,” Xavi said. The timing of this revelation, just before the elections, could influence fan perception, potentially portraying Laporta’s actions as a personal betrayal to Messi and the supporters who hoped for his return.
