Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez breaks silence on why club legend Lionel Messi did not return to the club
Xavi Hernandez opened up about why Lionel Messi didn't consider coming back to Barcelona.
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Xavi Hernandez opened up about why Lionel Messi didn't return to Barca after leaving PSG (Via GOAL)
Lionel Messi left FC Barcelona to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 after a shocking turn of events ‘forced him out’ of the club. That being said, many still kept their hopes alive of a possible return to the club after a year or two. Messi has since moved on to Inter Miami in the MLS, and has also stated that it will be his ‘last’ club. As fans look back at what went wrong for Messi and Barca, Xavi Hernandez gave some much needed insight into the same.
The former midfielder and club legend took charge of the club following Messi’s departure in 2021. In a recent interview, he revealed why Messi did not return to the club and what prevented the Spaniard from initiating negotiations.
I wanted him to return in 2023, but he told me that he wasn't respected by the club and administration. If the administration had changed, he would've returned to Barcelona. He loves this club and wants to help it, but with the current administration, he chose America.Xavi Hernandez told SPORT
Messi is currently in his second year at Inter Miami while Xavi Hernandez has been replaced by Hansi Flick at the club.
Pep Guardiola’s biography reveals that he thought about bringing Lionel Messi to Manchester City
Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola go way back when it comes to success on the football pitch. The two are credited with being two of the biggest ‘masterminds’ when it comes to ingenuity on the pitch, even though their roles have been largely different, with one playing and the other operating from the dugout. After parting ways in 2012, the two are yet to be part of the same team.
A recent revelation in Guardiola’s biography written by Marti Perarnau shows that Guardiola intimated Messi of a potential reunion at Manchester City. The biography ‘God Save Pep’ states that Guardiola suggested to Messi that the Premier League might be too competitive for the player. It is interesting to note that Messi was 33 in 2020, when the interaction supposedly occurred.
There have been claims that the details mentioned in the biography are in contradiction to what journalist Guillem Balague published in the past. According to the same, Guardiola was very excited at the possibility of having Messi at City. Guardiola has been a life-long admirer of the Argentine, with the Spaniard never missing an opportunity to heap praise on the legend.
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Sherwin Shaju
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