Xavi explained that Barcelona will always welcome Lionel Messi during his time as Blaugrana coach.
Lionel Messi left Barca last year in a way that shocked the football world, with the Spanish giants unable to fulfill the terms of the new contract agreed with the 34-year-old.
That meant Messi could leave as a free agent and join Paris Saint-Germain, although his transfer to the French capital has not yet reached the expected level yet.
PSG look set to advance to the Ligue 1 title but have failed miserably against Real Madrid in the 16th round of the Champions League.
Messi, who will miss PSG’s match against Monaco this weekend due to illness, has scored just seven goals in all competitions.
However, with Kylian Mbappe, he leads the Ligue 1 assistants’ charts by ten so far, and his 48 created chances make him the PSG’s best player on the French top flight.
There have been speculations that Messi could leave PSG at the end of the season and although it looks unlikely the Paris will be willing to lose him and Mbappe, who has lost his contract and looks set to join Madrid, Xavi will not refuse. the opportunity to meet a former colleague, whether it be a surprise transfer or just a visitor.
“Messi has won the opening of the Barca doors,” Xavi told a news conference ahead of El Clasico on Sunday.
“As long as I am a coach here, if he wants to come every day to watch training or talk to the coach, what he gives us is invaluable, he is the best player in history.
“He deserves a lot of respect from the club. But today he has a contract with PSG, I think he signed for two years.”
