Xavi: I talked to Messi about his return, but Laporta didn't want him to be back

Barcelona legend and former coach Xavi has given an exclusive interview to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, mainly about Messi.

Do you still contact Messi?

Yes, I have always had a good relationship with Messi.

Do you guys talk about club elections?

These are private conversations, and it's Messi, and everyone knows how much influence what he says can have, so I can't say much. However, I think you probably know what he thinks, don't you?

If you were still the coach at the time, would Messi have been able to return to Barcelona?

The president wasn't telling the truth about this either. At that time, it had actually been agreed with Messi. In January 2023, after he had just won the World Cup, we reconnected. He told me that he really wanted to come back, and I also thought it was feasible. We kept talking until March, and I told him that when you give me a definite answer, I will go and tell the president, because from a competitive point of view, I approve of this matter.

And then?

The president started talking to Messi's father about the contract, and we had already received the green light from La Liga at the time, but in the end the president himself overturned the whole thing again.

Did he explain the reason to you?

Laporta told me in his own words that if Messi came back, he would have a power struggle with himself, which he couldn't bear. After that, there was suddenly a period of time when Messi didn't answer my calls, because the other side had already told him that it couldn't be done. I later called his father, and I said: Jorge, this is impossible. He said to me: You go and talk to the president. I was still insisting at the time, we had been talking to Messi for five months, this thing was already done, there was absolutely no doubt from a competitive point of view, and the economic aspects had also been arranged, we were even going to play at Montjuïc, and even prepared a "last dance" like Jordan, everything was ready.

You have already given your support to Victor Font. If he wins, will you return to Barcelona?

Right now, my idea is that I will not return to Barcelona again. As a player and coach, my time at Barcelona is over. Next, what I want to do most is to tell the truth. Messi didn't come to Barcelona, not because of La Liga, and not because Jorge Messi wanted more money, these are all false. The person who really didn't want him to come back was the president. It was the president and the people around him who told him it wouldn't work, saying that they couldn't bear it, because the president wanted to have all the power in his hands, and he felt that Messi's return would make this power difficult to control.

How long did it take before you spoke to Messi again?

It was after a while, because he once thought that I was also in that operation. This incident had a great impact on the relationship between me and Messi, but now our relationship has returned to normal.

Is it still possible for Messi to come back?

I really wanted Messi to come back at the time, and even today I still think that he can help this team score goals and deliver the final pass, there is no doubt about that. Don't forget, he still has the World Cup to play. Messi can still succeed if he returns to the Camp Nou. And this is not just my wish, it is also his wish. He knows it now, he understands. But for a while I couldn't contact him at all, which is really a pity, and the responsibility lies with those people.

Why are you deciding to say this now?

There are many reasons. The main reason is that I want to tell the truth from my side. After leaving, I have not made any public statements, because I respect Barcelona. Everyone knows how much I love this club, my whole family are Barcelona fans.

So?

Because the narrative that the club is now telling to the outside world is completely false. It is necessary for me to make things clear. I have been holding these things in my heart, and now I have to say them.