Former FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández has claimed that the club had already secured an agreement to bring Lionel Messi back to Barcelona in 2023 before the deal was abruptly halted by club president Joan Laporta.
Speaking in an interview with La Vanguardia, Xavi said Messi’s return to the Catalan club after the 2022 FIFA World Cup was effectively finalized before the negotiations were unexpectedly stopped.
According to the former midfielder, discussions began shortly after Messi helped Argentina national football team win the World Cup in Qatar.
“Leo Messi’s signing to Barça in 2023 was done after the World Cup. Laporta isn’t telling the truth,” Xavi said. “In January 2023, after he became world champion, we got in touch and he told me he was excited about returning, and I saw it happening.”
Xavi explained that conversations with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner continued for several months and that he was waiting for the forward’s final approval before informing the club president.
“We talked until March and I told him: ‘When you give me the OK, I’ll tell the president,’” Xavi said.
The Barcelona legend added that negotiations had already progressed significantly at club level, including talks with Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi.
“Laporta started negotiating the contract with Leo’s father, and we had the green light from La Liga,” Xavi explained.
However, the move collapsed when the club leadership decided to withdraw from the deal, according to the former coach.
“Laporta told me literally that if Leo returned they would make war against him and he couldn’t allow that,” Xavi said.
The Spaniard also revealed that communication with Messi suddenly stopped after the club changed course.
“Then suddenly Leo stopped answering my calls because from Laporta’s side they had told him it couldn’t happen,” he added.
Xavi said he later contacted Jorge Messi to understand the situation.
“I called his father and said, ‘It can’t be, Jorge,’ and he told me, ‘Talk to the president.’”
The former Barcelona boss insisted that from a sporting perspective the club had already planned a symbolic final chapter for Messi at the club’s temporary home stadium.
“I insisted that we had been talking with Leo for five months, that everything was done,” Xavi said. “From a football point of view there were no doubts and economically we were going to move to Montjuïc and do a ‘last dance’ like Jordan’s — everything was prepared.”
Messi ultimately chose to join Inter Miami CF instead, ending speculation about a potential emotional return to Barcelona two years after leaving the club for Paris Saint‑Germain F.C..
Reflecting on the collapse of the deal, Xavi admitted he had hoped to coach the Argentine legend during a final spell at the club.
“I was dying for Messi to come back so I could coach him,” he said. “But they turned us against each other.”
