Lionel Messi: “Barcelona will grow with Xavi.”

Speaking in an interview with MARCA, Lionel Messi spoke about new Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández.

“Barcelona will grow with Xavi. He is a coach who knows a lot and also knows the place inside out,” Messi said.

The new Barca manager won his first game in charge of the Camp Nou outfit on Saturday, beating rivals Espanyol 1-0 at home thanks to a Memphis Depay penalty in the second half.

On returning to Barcelona in the future

“I’ve always said that at some point I was going to return to Barcelona because it’s my home. I’ve always wanted to try to help the club as much as I can and obviously if I can contribute and help the club I would love to go back.”

On PSG being favourites for the Champions League

“Everyone says we are the big favourites and I won’t deny that we are one of the favourites, but we still need to do a lot to be a really strong team.”

Messi went on to discuss life in Paris, his new team-mate Sergio Ramos and much more.

The full interview will be available in MARCA on Tuesday.

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