While the specifics of the tour haven’t been mentioned, Xavi could be referring to when the Catalan giants toured Japan in late July 2005. They played out a 1-1 draw against the Yokohama Marinos.
They beat the same team in Japan two years later, but by then, Messi was a major fixture in Barcelona’s starting XI. Speaking in the documentary ‘Messi’, Xavi said:
He added:
Messi and Xavi played 399 matches together as teammates, winning four UEFA Champions League titles and seven La Liga seven titles.
In the mid-2000s, Messi gradually grew in importance at the club and became an irreplaceable part of every Barca manager’s first-team set-up. While Xavi left the club in the summer of 2015, Messi departed Camp Nou last year to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
He is in the final year of his contract at the Parc des Princes, and a return to Barca has been touted. If he secures a fairytale homecoming to Catalonia, then it could be the first time Xavi gets to manage the Argentine playmaker.
The Spanish tactician became the manager of the club in November 2021 when he replaced Ronald Koeman, and by then, Messi was a PSG player.
Barcelona striker dreaming about playing with Lionel Messi
Robert Lewandowski left Bayern Munich to join Barcelona this summer. The Poland international could not help his team qualify for this season’s UEFA Champions League knockout stages.
Subsequently, many have questioned whether it was the right decision to leave the Allianz Arena for Camp Nou. Nevertheless, he could get to fulfill a ‘dream’ of his that may not have been possible at Bayern.
Speaking in an interview with Marca, Lewandowski stated:
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