Xavi said that Laporta prevented Messi's return to Barcelona

The former head coach of the football club Barselona, Xavi Hernandez, has disclosed unexpected information that the team's leadership prevented Lionel Messi's return. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

According to the coach, in 2023, all preparatory work on the transfer of the Argentine star had been completed and the agreements had been practically settled. This is reported by Goal.com.

Xavi said that for five months he personally conducted negotiations with Messi, and the footballer gave full consent to return to his beloved team. However, at the very final stage of the process, club president Joan Laporta did not give permission for this transfer.

In this way, the return that fans had been eagerly awaiting did not take place. It became known that due to the difficult economic situation in the club, plans for the return of not only Messi but also former stars such as Neymar and Pedro fell through.

The former coach also touched on his relationship with Messi. He said that he has known the legendary footballer since the age of 16, and that strong friendly ties based on mutual trust have always been maintained between them.

For Xavi, Messi's return to the team was very important not only from a sporting point of view but also emotionally. In addition, Xavi expressed high opinions about the current young star Lamine Yamal.

He called the teenage footballer the holder of a rare talent and a chosen genius. According to the coach, the young player's future and how high he will rise will depend solely on his own aspirations and mental state.

Speaking of his departure from the team, Xavi hinted that this was caused not by sporting results but by various disagreements within the club. Nevertheless, he stated that he fully supports the project headed by current head coach Hansi Flick.

Xavi is confident that during his work, he managed to create a strong foundation in the team that will serve it for the next decade.