The departure of Lionel Messi from Barcelona left a wound that, over the years, had various opportunities to heal. One of them emerged after his time at Paris Saint-Germain and gained traction during Xavi Hernández's tenure as coach of the Catalan team, although it ultimately did not materialize.
In an interview with Indian host Prakhar Gupta, Xavi shared details of those conversations and stated that the Rosario star intended to return to the club. "Messi was very eager to return to Barcelona, and I was totally in favor," said the former midfielder, who also maintained that his coaching staff supported the possibility. "Messi himself had high hopes, and both I and the entire coaching staff were also looking forward to it with great expectations," he expressed.
Xavi also revealed that the matter had been discussed with Laporta during that period. "At that moment, I thought we were going to return to Montjuic to experience something like Michael Jordan's last dance," he recalled.
For the former coach, the potential return was not only an emotional matter but also a sporting one. "It was difficult because I think we needed it. We needed his return to the team, and he was still in perfect physical condition. Plus, he won the World Cup in Qatar in 2022," Xavi pointed out.
