Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernández revealed that Lionel Messi was very close to returning to FC Barcelona in 2023, but the move was ultimately stopped by club president Joan Laporta.
Messi left Barcelona in 2021 after financial issues prevented the club from renewing his contract. Since then, the possibility of a return had been widely discussed. According to Xavi, the Argentine forward was actually close to rejoining the Catalan club after winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina.
Speaking in comments collected by La Vanguardia, Xavi explained that discussions with Messi began at the start of 2023 and lasted for several months.
“Leo was already signed,” Xavi said. “In January 2023, after becoming world champion, we contacted him and he told me he was excited about returning. We spoke until March and I told him: ‘When you give me the OK, I will tell the president because I see it clearly from a football point of view.’ We even had the green light from La Liga.”
The former midfielder added that Barcelona had been speaking not only with Messi but also with his father and representative, Jorge Messi, for about five months.
However, Xavi stated that the move was ultimately halted by Laporta. He denied previous reports that financial restrictions from La Liga or salary demands from Messi’s camp were the reason the transfer failed.
“My intention is to tell the truth,” Xavi said. “Leo did not return to Barcelona because the president did not want it, not because of La Liga or because Jorge Messi asked for more money. That is not true. It was the president and his people who said no.”
Xavi also revealed that Laporta feared Messi’s influence inside the club.
“Laporta told me directly that if Leo returned he would start a war with him and that he could not allow it,” Xavi explained. “Suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because someone else had told him that the operation could not happen.”
According to the former Barcelona coach, he even called Jorge Messi to clarify the situation after the negotiations collapsed.
“I told Jorge, ‘This cannot be happening.’ He replied, ‘Talk to the president.’ I insisted that we had been talking with Leo for five months, that the deal was done from a football point of view. Economically we were going to move to Montjuïc and prepare a ‘Last Dance’ like Michael Jordan. Everything was ready.”
That “Last Dance” plan referred to a potential final stage for Messi at Barcelona while the club played home matches at the Olympic Stadium during the renovation of Camp Nou.
Xavi also admitted that the failed negotiations briefly affected his relationship with Messi, who initially believed the former midfielder was involved in the decision. Over time, however, the two restored their friendship, ending any misunderstanding between them.
