A central point of the feuding parties is the collapsed return of Lionel Messi to Camp Nou in 2023. Xavi has claimed that Laporta deliberately vetoed the transfer despite having La Liga’s green light for the move. Laporta, however, insists the decision was financial and based on the player’s own concerns about the pressure involved in a return to his spiritual home, rather than a move to wage war on the Argentine icon.
“With Messi, when we couldn’t renew his contract due to financial reasons, in 2023 he told me that Messi wanted to return. I sent the contract to Jorge Messi, who later came to my house and told me that he would have too much pressure here,” Laporta clarified. This contradicts Xavi’s assertion that the deal was virtually done from a sporting perspective before the president allegedly ‘threw everything out’ at the final moment.
The tension between the pair also extended to the transfer market, with Xavi revealing his frustration over missed targets like Martin Zubimendi, who is now shining under Mikel Arteta’s tutelage with Premier League giants Arsenal. The former coach stated that his attempts to sign the midfielder were blocked by the board, who cited financial constraints. Laporta countered this by suggesting that Xavi had lost faith in the squad he already had, becoming overly critical of the group’s ability to compete with rivals Real Madrid.
“Xavi explains in the interview the reasons why I fired him. He became complacent and couldn’t balance his professional and personal life. He said that Barca wouldn’t be competitive with Real Madrid. He asked to change players, and I told him he couldn’t continue. Xavi was dissatisfied with the squad and the referees. He said the squad wasn’t competitive. It was a recurring theme,” the president added during his rebuttal.