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| Lionel Messi #30 of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the Paris Saint-Germain Vs Bordeaux, French Ligue 1 regular season match at Parc des Princes on March 13th 2022 in Paris, France. |
Xavi has explained that Barcelona will always welcome Lionel Messi back while he is coach of the Catalan giants.
Messi left Barca last year in a move that stunned the world of football, with the Blaugrana unable to afford to fulfil the terms of a new contract that had been all but agreed with the 34-year-old.
That meant Messi could leave as a free agent and he joined Paris Saint-Germain, though his switch to the French capital has not quite hit the expected heights just yet.
Messi has earned having the doors open to Barca," Xavi told a news conference ahead of El Clasico against Real Madrid on Sunday.
As long as I'm the coach here, if he wants to come every day to watch training or talk to the coach, what he's given us is priceless, he's the best player in history.
He deserves a big tribute from the club. But today he has a contract with PSG, I think he signed for two years.
Turing to the clash with Madrid, Xavi called on Barcelona to change their recent fortunes against their rivals, although he was unsure whether his side struggled with an "inferiority complex" against them.
Barca are 15 points adrift of Carlo Ancelotti's runaway La Liga leaders and have lost their past five games against Madrid in all competitions.
That streak has only been bettered once in meetings between the two rivals, with Los Blancos enjoying a seven-game winning run between April 1962 and February 1965.
However, since Xavi's arrival, Barca have climbed to third in the league, taking 34 points from 15 games in LaLiga, a record only beaten by Madrid in that period (39 points).
I don't know if there was an inferiority complex, I wasn't in charge, Xavi said.
It's a great opportunity to change history, and a win would greatly support what we're working on.
I don't know if we arrive with more self-esteem than previous years, but we do have good dynamics and enthusiasm against rivals who are in great form.
We have to be brave, trying to impose our ideas, but also calm because there will be moments of everything.
From my experience, I can transmit calm; it is just another chance for three points, and we have to try to enjoy the occasion.