Joan Laporta has publicly responded to recent criticism from former FC Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández, insisting that the club is now moving forward successfully under current head coach Hansi Flick.
The comments come amid a heated period in Barcelona’s presidential election campaign, where Laporta remains the favourite to retain his position, although recent statements from Xavi have added tension to the political landscape at the club.
Softfootball gathered that Xavi recently accused Laporta of blocking the return of Lionel Messi in 2023 and also suggested that Laporta’s close associate Alejandro Echevarría plays a major role in decision-making at the club.
Speaking during an electoral debate organised by Grupo Godó, Laporta responded strongly to those remarks. According to a report shared by transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano on his official X handle, Laporta admitted he was disappointed by the comments made by the former Barcelona midfielder and manager.
Fabrizio’s post:
Joan Laporta: “Xavi’s interview surprised me and hurt me. I understand that he’s hurt. With the same players, Flick wins… and Xavi didn’t”. “With Xavi I saw that we were going to lose and with Flick, that we are going to win”.
Laporta defended his decision to replace Xavi with Flick, suggesting that the team’s recent improvement validates the change in leadership.
The Barcelona president also suggested that Xavi may be aligning himself with Laporta’s electoral rival Víctor Font, who is challenging him in the upcoming presidential elections.
Laporta further reflected on several difficult decisions he has taken during his time leading Barcelona, including the departures of Messi, former coach Ronald Koeman, and Xavi himself.
These are the three hardest decisions I’ve ever made. Messi, Koeman and Xavi. I did it with Barça’s interests at heart. I had two of them as players and these are decisions you have to make. They are legends of Barça.
Laporta explained.
The tensions between the two figures escalated after Xavi revealed in a recent interview that he had asked the Barcelona board to sign Martín Zubimendi when the midfielder was still playing for Real Sociedad.
According to Xavi, the club declined the move due to financial reasons despite the departure of long-time defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets. Zubimendi later moved to Arsenal, where he has since become an important figure under manager Mikel Arteta.
With Barcelona’s presidential elections approaching, the growing public disagreement between Laporta and one of the club’s most iconic figures has added further drama to an already intense campaign that could shape the club’s future direction.
