Former Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez has said that the club’s management prevented Lionel Messi from returning to the team. According to the coach, all the arrangements for the Argentine star’s transfer were ready in 2023. Goal.com reports.
Xavi said he held talks with Messi for five months and that the player agreed to return to Barcelona. However, in the final stage, club president Joan Laporta did not allow the transfer.
Plans to bring back former players such as Neymar and Pedro also fell through because of financial problems.
The former coach also spoke about Messi’s enthusiasm in training and their relationship. Xavi said he has known Messi since he was 16 and that a friendship based on trust has always remained between them.
Xavi also spoke highly of the current young star Lamine Yamal. He called the teenage footballer a “chosen genius” and said his future depends only on his ambition and mental state.
Xavi hinted that his departure was caused not by sporting results, but by disagreements inside the club. Even so, he said he supports the project led by Hansi Flick and stressed that a solid foundation has been laid for the next 10 years.
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