The Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta has refused to rule out the prospect of Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta following the return of Xavi and Dani Alves back to Barcelona.
There is already a spirit of reunion at the Nou Camp after the Barcelona legend, 38-year-old Brazilian right-back Alves was unveiled at the Nou Camp on Wednesday, having agreed to return on a short-term deal from January. This decision came after former midfielder Xavi was appointed as the manager following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
After Lionel Messi’s transfer to Paris Saint Germain, he has struggled with knee and hamstring injuries this season, and hasn’t quite made the impression at PSG many expected.
Former Barcelona midfielder Iniesta, now 37, has played for Japanese club Vissel Kobe since leaving Catalonia in 2018. He signed a two-year contract extension with the club back in May.
The Barcelona president Laporta excited the club’s fans by saying:
“I do not rule it out. It has happened with Dani, who has already said that age is just a number and has also made a significant financial effort to return. You are talking about two spectacular players, with Leo and Andres.”
“I cannot predict the future, they are still playing. We will always keep them in mind, but at the moment they have current contracts with other clubs. You never know in life.”
Alves, who will train with Barcelona but cannot play for the team until January, said it would be ‘incredible’ if Messi was to return from Paris.
He said: “What can I say? If you give me a couple of hours, I will look for him! He is the greatest player I have been able to see and have as a team-mate.”
“The great players are always missed when they leave. It would be incredible to be able to see him here again. Unfortunately, he is not here. I would encourage all former players to come back as there is nowhere to be found that is better than here.”