Xavi Reveals Laporta Vetoed Messi's Barcelona Return Despite La Liga Approval in Explosive Interview

**Getty/GOAL | Moataz Elgammal** **Mar 09, 2026 05:35 +06:00** **Xavi Claims Joan Laporta BLOCKED Lionel Messi's Homecoming Transfer to Barcelona After La Liga Green Light in Bombshell New Interview** Former Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández has dropped a massive bombshell, claiming that Joan Laporta deliberately vetoed Lionel Messi's return to the club in 2023. Despite securing La Liga approval to re-sign the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner that summer, Laporta allegedly blocked the transfer, shattering fans' dreams. **Messi Denied 'Last Dance' at Barça** In a stunning interview with *La Vanguardia* just a week before the Barcelona presidential elections, Xavi revealed a series of explosive details regarding his tenure as head coach. The legendary midfielder, sacked in May 2024, claimed a deal for Messi was practically finalized in early 2023. Xavi stated the superstar was eager to return to Catalonia after winning the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar. He even pitched it to Messi's father, Jorge, as a magical finale: **"We are going to do a last dance like Jordan's."** Ultimately, the collapsed deal saw Messi move to MLS side Inter Miami upon the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract that summer. **Advertisement** **Getty/GOAL** **'He Was Going to Wage War'** Xavi said: **"The president isn’t telling the truth there either. Leo was signed. In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch, and he told me he was excited about coming back... We had La Liga's approval, but it was the president who threw everything out."** He continued: **"Laporta told me, and I quote, that if Leo came back, he was going to wage war against him and that he couldn’t allow it. Suddenly, Leo stopped answering my calls... When I called his father, he said, 'Talk to the president.'"** **Relationship Between Xavi & Messi Damaged** Xavi revealed the saga strained his relationship with Messi, once one of his most valued teammates at Barça. Messi was forced to leave in 2021 due to financial constraints, and his attempted return ended in another heartbreak, with Xavi caught in the crossfire. **"Did it take a while before I spoke with Messi again? Yes, because he thought I was part of the whole scheme. It affected my relationship with Leo a lot, but now it’s good again,"** Xavi admitted. **"He knows that now, he understands it now."** On whether Messi could still return, Xavi added: **"Leo Messi is never returning to Barcelona simply because Laporta doesn’t want that. It’s not because of La Liga or Jorge Messi asking for money—that’s all a lie. It’s Laporta."** Laporta is currently running for a third term as Barcelona president against candidates Victor Font and Marc Ciria. **ENJOYED THIS STORY?** Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting. **Getty Images Sport** **'Let Down' by Backroom Figures** Xavi also claimed Laporta misled him during his final months and that the president’s advisor, Alejandro Echevarría, held real power behind the scenes. **"He said: 'Xavi, I can’t see the team without you... I felt capable,'"** Xavi recalled. **"I signed for Barça thanks to him, but he ended up letting me down. He dismissed me without telling me the truth, influenced by someone I believe is above the president, Alejandro Echevarría. In other words, it was Alejandro who dismissed me. That’s how this Barça works—it’s practically run by Alejandro Echevarría."**