FC Barcelona ‘Bans’ Legend Xavi Hernandez From Club Activity

BusinessSportsMoneyFC Barcelona Bans Legend Xavi Hernandez From Club ActivityByTom Sanderson,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Tom Sanderson has been primarily based in Barcelona since 2019.Follow AuthorJun 11, 2026, 05:31am EDTJun 11, 2026, 05:32am EDTFC Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez has essentially been banned from club activities such as its 'Legends' matches because of his opposition to President Joan Laporta according to Catalunya Radio and AS, who cited anonymous sources.Anadolu via Getty ImagesFC Barcelona icon Xavi Hernandez has essentially been banned from club activities such as its 'Legends' matches because of his opposition to President Joan Laporta according to Catalunya Radio and AS, who cited anonymous sources.Xavi - widely-regarded as one of the Blaugrana and Spain’s greatest players of all time - hasn’t been called up to the last two Barca Legends meetings, where the likes of Ronaldinho wowed crowds in Miami and Rivaldo played in Seoul.AS suspects that this ‘ban’ will stay in place for further Legends events, because the man behind selections is Alejandro Echevarria.That’s Laporta’s ex-brother-in-law and right-hand man, who Xavi pointed the finger at during the explosive interview he gave to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia earlier this year.“Echevarria has more power than Laporta at the club,” Xavi said.Amid touching on other touchy topics, Xavi also accused Laporta of vetoing Lionel Messi’s proposed 2023 return to the club. The timing of these comments was especially important. They were viewed as Xavi endorsing Laporta’s main rival at the ballot box - Victor Font - during the build-up to a March election Laporta won.MORE FOR YOU“The president isn’t telling the truth there either. Leo was signed,” Xavi claimed. “In January 2023, after winning the World Cup, we got in touch and he told me he was keen to come back. We talked until March and I told him: 'Okay, when you giv...