How Joan Laporta STOPPED Messi’s Barcelona Return? Xavi Shares Shocking Details

A painful revelation from former Barcelona icon and head coach Xavi Hernandez might be about to make former club president Joan Laporta, the man at the center of public outrage, ahead of the presidential polls later this month. In a recent interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi claimed that it was then club president Laporta, who pulled the plug on the potential comeback of one of the greatest footballers, Lionel Messi, to Camp Nou.

The alleged decision about Messi Barcelona return in January 2023 has sparked reactions from thousands of fans of the revered footballer, who left the club in August 2021. According to excerpts from the interview, Xavi claimed the following:

According to El Chiringuito journalist Cristobal Soria, who reportedly contacted the Argentine star's inner circle, claimed that Messi tried everything possible to return to the Catalan club. Soria also claimed that after Messi's return fell through, the club went on to sign Spanish forward Ferran Torres for 55 million euros.

Why Was Messi Barcelona Return Stopped?

Xavi claims that the Messi Barcelona return was practically agreed upon after the 2022 World Cup, where Argentina went on to lift the trophy and end Messi's drought of not winning the World Cup in his historic and trophy-laden career. However, Joan Laporta pulled the plug to stop the move.

The former World Cup winner with Spain, Xavi, clarified that the move was not stopped because of Messi’s unwillingness to return, nor due to problems involving La Liga, or even due to financial issues.

He believes the president’s inner circle was feeling that the Blaugrana could not afford Messi’s return.

He added that his return would concentrate too much power within the institution and disrupt the locker room and hamper the sporting project.

Will This Effect Joan Laporta's Poll Campaign?

Yes, the expectation is that the revelation could be a huge PR nightmare for Joan Laporta and something which could dampen his reputation and popularity ahead of the polls. While Lionel Messi has refrained from making any public statements on the matter, it will be interesting to see how the entire situation ends up involving these high-profile entities in Spain.