Xavi Unmasks Barca's Hidden Power Broker: Laporta Let Him Down, A Shadow Runs the Club
8 March 2026
The legend Xavi Hernandez, former Barca star and coach, leveled strong accusations at internal Barça insiders for controlling decisions and smearing his image through organized media campaigns.
In an exclusive interview with the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Xavi explained how he ran the team, saying he had a good relationship with the players and staff; he described the dressing room as a family and stressed that he was always honest with them.
He said he was not frustrated about not coaching them currently, and he is proud of the deals he planned with Johan Cruyff and Mateu Alemany, noting that his true legacy lies in promoting talents like Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Koparci, and Balde, arguing that Yamal is the best player in the world today.
Admission of Mistakes
Regarding self-criticism, Xavi admitted that they made mistakes. He said there was a lot of self-criticism within him and the staff, and that, in short, his demands on the club decreased over time.
The Real Decision-Maker
On who was truly in charge, Xavi said he was let go without the truth being told, influenced by a person he believes sits above the president, Alejandro Echivaría. He claimed that Alejandro is the one who effectively ran the club and made the call to dismiss him.
He added that his disappointment was magnified by the friendship with Barça president Joan Laporta, whom he felt betrayed by, despite being persuaded to stay with emotional appeals at Laporta’s home.
He detailed the fiery meeting that followed: plans with the staff and the new fitness coaches, only for Alejandro to shout that the physical preparation had been a disaster, even though data since 2003 suggest Barca’s players ran more than our side in the league that season.
He said he did not stay because of a fitness issue; during that meeting he asked about his position, with Alejandro, Deco, and Bojan present; at that moment it was decided he would not continue, but instead of telling him directly, they waited two to three weeks.
Media Campaigns
Xavi accused the club management of waging campaigns against him and claimed Alejandro spoke with players such as Sergi Roberto and Pedri, telling them that Xavi wished to sell them. He insisted he was only discussing selling one player due to financial fair play and refused to name him out of respect, adding that Sergi Roberto approached him to ask if he didn’t want him to stay, to which he replied the opposite.
Asked why he spoke out now, Xavi said he was not acting out of revenge but out of justice; he wants Barça fans to know that things inside the club are not functioning properly and that he will never return to Barcelona, having closed his chapter as both player and coach.
He concluded by saying he felt relief after the interview, having confronted Alejandro Echivaría.
Two punchlines follow: Bang bang—that’s what you call a plot twist with a side of popcorn. And if clarity paid a transfer fee, Barca would be debt-free and the popcorn would still be fresh.
