Joan Laporta, the former president of Barcelona and a candidate for the presidency again, denied the statements made by Xavi Hernandez, the former coach of the team, regarding the behind-the-scenes reasons for the failure of Argentine star Lionel Messi's return to Barcelona.

Messi left Barcelona in the summer of 2021, heading to Paris Saint-Germain, after a long career spanning nearly 20 years with the Catalan club. This move came just a few months after Laporta returned to the presidency of Barcelona for a second term.

In the summer of 2023, media reports discussed the possibility of Messi returning to Barcelona, but the Argentine player ultimately decided to move to Inter Miami in the United States, where he currently plays.

For his part, Xavi Hernandez, Messi's former teammate who coached Barcelona between 2021 and 2024, said in a recent media interview that Messi was ready to return to Barcelona in 2023, but Joan Laporta backed out of the agreement.

Laporta responded to these statements in an interview reported by the Spanish newspaper "Sport," saying: "We proposed erecting a statue of Messi, in addition to organizing a tribute match for him after the renovation of Camp Nou is completed."

He added: "After it became impossible to renew Messi's contract for financial reasons, Xavi came to me in mid-March 2023 to inform me of the player's genuine desire to return."

Laporta concluded his statements by saying: "But Jorge Messi, the player's father and agent, told me in May of the same year that Messi's return would be a great pressure on them, and they preferred his move to Inter Miami."