'Best ever' Messi always welcome at Barcelona, insists Xavi
Martin Macdonald
- 19 Mar 2022 17:47 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona head coach Xavi insists the door is always open for Lionel Messi to complete a return to the club in some capacity.
Up until the summer of 2021, Messi played his entire professional club career with Barcelona, winning a multitude of trophies including four Champions League titles and, at individual level, a record seven Ballon d'Or awards.
Barca's financial issues meant that they were unable to retain the services of the Argentine last summer due to new salary regulations imposed by La Liga.
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Messi subsequently moved to PSG, where he is having a tough time meeting the heights of his brilliance at Camp Nou.
Xavi, who replaced Ronaldo Koeman as head coach at the end of last year, has welcomed talk of a Messi return.
"I think Messi's the best ever," Xavi said on Saturday.
"The door will always be open and, while I am coach, if he wants to come every day to watch training or to speak with the manager, [then no problem].
"He's owed a huge homage from the club. That's how it should be because everything he has given us has no price. But he has a contract with PSG so I can't say much more."
Is Messi unhappy at PSG?
Another current Barcelona figure who has been discussing Messi recently is Dani Alves, who is now in his second stint with the club after returning in January.
He believes Messi is struggling to fit in at PSG and isn't playing with any joy.
"For me, [Messi] is not enjoying himself," Alves told ESPN.
"Leo is out of place there.
"Hopefully he can come back [to Barcelona]. I don't know if it's possible, but if he comes... let him come here with me.
"Leo always told me, 'Where are you going to be better than here[Barca]?'" added the Brazilian.
"And I saw it, there is no better place than here. Even when [news] emerged that he was leaving, I sent him the same message [to tell him the same thing] that he told me."
