During the electoral campaign for the presidency of Barcelona, Joan Laporta stated that he is not afraid of Lionel Messi or his father, Jorge, speaking out about the failed return of the Argentine to the club, refuting recent accusations from Xavi Hernández, who told La Vanguardia that it was the former president who blocked the possibility of the forward returning to Camp Nou. When asked on COPE radio if he feared a public intervention from the player or his father regarding the issue, Laporta was categorical: "No, not at all." "I am convinced that he would say the same as I do, because the conversation was what it was, unless the versions change. But I don't think they will change, because Jorge and I have always understood each other," he stated, adding that the focus should be on the elections: "What we also don't want is to divert attention from what matters to the culés, because now the president and the board are being elected, and in this context, what Xavi says adds absolutely nothing. If he stole any votes from me? The ballot boxes will tell." Laporta harshly criticized the former coach, whom he dismissed in 2024, accusing him of being manipulated by Font and trying to disrupt the electoral process. "That's why I don't understand what Xavi is saying. Leo had to return after his time at PSG; Jorge Messi came to my house and told me they would be better off in Miami than in Arabia or Barcelona, where they would face a lot of pressure. This only tries to distort the elections. What Xavi says is not true," he clarified. The candidate took the opportunity to justify the coach's dismissal, recalling his own words. "Xavi says they relaxed, and he himself acknowledges the reasons we let him go. He said that Barça could not compete with Real Madrid, he told me that his words had been distorted, and Deco warned me that he wanted changes in the squad… and I called him," Laporta explained. "When Xavi says he is leaving at the end of the season, we started to make moves, and Flick began to study the club. The end of the season comes, Xavi says he wants to stay, and I ask him: 'Well, do you believe in this team?' He tells me he will make it a champion and then says what he says," he concluded.
During the Barcelona remains central to this story.
During the Barcelona remains central to this story.
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