“We are not doing him any favors”- Xavi urges media to stop linking Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona


“We are not doing him any favors”- Xavi urges media to stop linking Lionel Messi’s return to Barcelona

Messi and Xavi at the UCL Final 2015

Barcelona head coach Xavi asks that the media “leave him in peace” and stop making references to Lionel Messi possibly returning to the club again. After his contract with Barca expired in the summer of 2021 and the club was unable to offer him a new deal owing to financial constraints, Messi departed the club.

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He later signed on as a free agent for Paris Saint-Germain. But Messi has been hotly tipped to return to Catalonia ever since landing in France, and Xavi was once more questioned about the possibility before Barcelona’s Champions League trip to Inter.

“With Leo, let’s see, but it’s not the moment to talk about it right now,” he said. “You know the love I have for him. He is a friend and I will always wish him the best. Barça is his home, but we’re not doing him any favours speaking about [his future], either. Let’s leave him in peace to enjoy his time in Paris and wish him all the best.”

By his own high standards, Messi’s debut season with PSG was quite underwhelming. In 26 Ligue 1 games, he scored six goals and provided 14 assists. His 2022–23 season has gotten off to a much better start, with five goals and seven assists so far. Barcelona, in contrast, ascended to the top of La Liga after defeating Mallorca, while Real Madrid’s opponents could only manage a draw against Osasuna at home.

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Barcelona manager Xavi also talks about their next Champions League clash against Inter Milan

Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez
Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is under pressure with his side ninth in Serie A following back-to-back defeats to Udinese and Roma. But Xavi is not reading anything into the Nerazzurri’s poor form, as he knows they have the quality to turn things around.

“It’s not significant,” he said. “It’s Inter, a very strong team. They have a different system to anything we’ve come across so far. They play with two strikers, something you don’t see too much in Spain. They’re a tough opponent, with good dynamics, but that has to be shown.”

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