India, March 10 -- Xavi has publicly accused Barcelona president Joan Laporta of lying over Lionel Messi's failed return to the club in 2023, reopening one of the most emotionally loaded transfer sagas in modern football. In a set of explosive remarks, the former Barcelona coach claimed Messi had effectively agreed to return, only for the move to be scrapped by the club president despite a financial green light.

The issue goes back to the period after Messi's World Cup triumph with Argentina in Qatar, when speculation over a Barcelona reunion gathered pace. Messi left the Catalan club in 2021 due to its financial troubles, and the idea of a homecoming carried emotional weight for supporters. Instead, he eventually joined Inter Miami. Now...