India, March 11 -- Mateu Alemany's public support has given Xavi Hernandez's Lionel Messi claim a fresh edge, because it is no longer just a former coach reopening an old wound. It is now a second senior Barcelona insider backing the idea that Messi's return in 2023 was considered possible from within the club before it ultimately fell apart. That is what makes this development significant. In a saga shaped by emotion, politics and competing versions of the truth, Alemany has added something far more valuable than noise: credibility.

When Xavi first spoke, the force of his remarks came from his directness. He accused Barcelona president Joan Laporta of misleading the public over Messi's failed comeback and said the move had advanced far ...