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Laporta stopped Messi's Barcelona return to avoid power struggle, Xavi says

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Lionel Messi and Joan Laporta of FC Barcelona after winning the Copa Del Rey Final match between Athletic Club and FC Barcelona at Estadio de La Cartuja in Sevilla, Spain, on April 17, 2021. [Jose Luis Contreras/AFP]

Former Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said the club's president Joan Laporta scuppered the return of all-time great Lionel Messi in 2023 to avoid a power struggle.

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner left Barca for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 and then two years later moved to MLS side Inter Miami.

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