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Xavi reveals why Messi did not return to Barcelona

Published : Sunday, 20 September, 2026 at 6:01 PM

Observer online report

Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has revealed that club president Joan Laporta decided against bringing Lionel Messi back to the Catalan club in 2023.

Xavi, who became Barcelona coach three months after Messi left the club in 2021, said he had remained in regular contact with the Argentine star and strongly supported his return.

“We were in contact for four months. Messi was very keen to return to Barcelona, and I was 100 per cent in favour of it. But in the end, president Laporta decided that he did not want to sign Messi again,” Xavi said on a podcast.

According to Xavi, both Messi and Barcelona’s coaching staff had high hopes of completing the return after Argentina won the 2022 World Cup. However, the plan was ultimately cancelled.

“Messi himself had a lot of hope, and I and the entire coaching staff were also waiting with great expectations. But suddenly the president cancelled everything,” Xavi said.

He described the failed return as a missed opportunity, saying it could have been a “dream chapter”.

Xavi also said Messi had accepted that it was time to end his international career and that he appeared to be at peace with the decision.

Xavi added that Messi may have felt the time had come to step away, with another four-year World Cup cycle too demanding. He noted that Messi had already won the Copa America and World Cup with Argentina.

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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