Mess between Barça, the Legends and Xavi Hernández

BarcelonaThe interview that Xavi Hernández gave to La Vanguardia during the last electoral campaign bothered Joan Laporta, who was running for re-election, and Alejandro Echevarría, his right-hand man without a position at Barça. The former blaugrana coach had remained silent since his turbulent departure from the club, after having been ratified in his position in a press conference where Laporta even shed tears the day after the sushi night to end up firing him. Xavi ended up parting ways with the president-elect and with Echevarría, who, although in 2021 he was the main supporter of his return, the coach also considers him one of the architects of his dismissal. Basically, he felt betrayed by him.

Since his departure, Xavi had maintained a discreet profile, although the rift became evident in some episodes such as the farewell event for Andrés Iniesta, where he sat far from Laporta and the president's inner circle. To smooth over tensions and avoid questioning his Barcelonism, the former coach did make an approach to his successor, Hansi Flick, and invited him to his home in Barcelona. Beyond that, the only relationship Xavi had maintained with the blaugrana entity – apart from some occasional celebration like the club's 125th anniversary gala – was through Barça Legends, the team of illustrious club veterans that periodically plays matches around the planet with economic and publicity benefits – both for the players and for the club.

Between December 2024 and March of this year, Xavi had participated in some matches with the Legends. The last match was on March 3 in the classic against the Real Madrid legends played in Guadalajara, Mexico. The interview in

La Vanguardia

was published on March 8. In that conversation, the former coach points to Laporta as responsible for Messi's non-return to Barça and for personally failing him. He also says that Echevarría "is above the president." Declarations that did not please the those involved at all and that would end up having consequences for Xavi.

Scandal with the match in Seoul

Towards the end of the season, around the days when Barça was proclaimed League champions, it was when Luis Sá, a former collaborator of Deco at his old representation agency and currently working in the promotion of these types of matches, contacted the former coach's entourage to tell him that, for the moment, he was excluded from the Legends call-ups, as reported by Catalunya Ràdio and confirmed by ARA. The last list was last week, to play a match against Liverpool legends in Seoul (South Korea) on Saturday, in which Xavi did not participate.

Until Sá informed Xavi's entourage that he was out of this call-up, the promoters' intention had been to reunite the man from Terrassa with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, with whom he formed the midfield of the best Barça in history, in the Seoul match. The player from Badia del Vallès was debuting with the Legends shortly after hanging up his boots this past season after three years at Inter Miami. According to sources consulted by this newspaper, Xavi's representatives had already agreed on the terms of the player from Terrassa's participation in the match, as the remuneration varies according to the fee of each former player.

Barça argues Xavi's non-participation in the Legends match in Seoul because the call-ups for the legends team are subject to change. Echevarría, Deco, and Bojan accompanied the team to the Asian country. Barça clarifies that Xavi "is not banned" and that his presence in veteran matches has not been "prohibited." "He continues to be part of this group," they add from Camp Nou. On the other hand, the version maintained by the former coach's entourage is that his participation in the match was vetoed, which he regretted. Recreating the Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta trio on the pitch, for now, will have to wait.