Xavi drops Lionel Messi bombshell and hits out at Joan Laporta over his Barcelona exit

Barcelona icon Xavi Hernández has broken his silence on the circumstances surrounding his departure from the club and has accused president Joan Laporta of sabotaging a pre-agreed deal to bring Lionel Messi back to Camp Nou. Speaking to La Vanguardia ahead of the forthcoming presidential elections, the former midfielder—who has publicly endorsed rival candidate Víctor Font—claimed that Messi’s return was “signed” in March 2023 before Laporta personally intervened to block it.

“Leo was signed,” Xavi insisted. “After winning the World Cup we got in touch; he told me he was excited about coming back. We talked until March, I told him, ‘When you give me the OK, I’ll tell the president because I see it as a good move from a footballing perspective.’” According to Xavi, LaLiga had already approved the operation and the club was preparing what he termed “a last dance like Jordan’s” at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc while Camp Nou underwent renovations.

The 44-year-old alleges that Laporta began parallel negotiations with Messi’s father, Jorge, only to pull the plug. “The president told me, and I quote, that if Leo came back he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn’t allow it,” Xavi said. “Suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because he’d been told on the other end that it couldn’t be done.”

Xavi also directed fierce criticism at the club’s former director of football, Alejandro Echevarría, describing his conduct as “the biggest disappointment” and accusing him of orchestrating a media campaign against the coach. “Echevarría went around talking to players like Sergi Roberto, Araújo, Pedri and Raphinha, telling them that I wanted to sell them,” Xavi claimed, adding that he had sought only “one change to the squad, not 10” as Laporta has previously stated.

Having previously kept quiet “out of respect for Barça,” Xavi now says he feels compelled to speak. “I’ve already completed my time as a player and coach,” he concluded, signalling that he does not foresee a return to the club in any capacity.

The revelations come at a sensitive moment for Barcelona, with elections looming and scrutiny intensifying over Laporta’s management of both sporting and financial affairs.