Xavi Hernandez - a legend of world football, a Spanish player who became one of the most influential and technically gifted players of his generation. He was born on January 25, 1980, in Terrassa, Spain, and displayed his football talent from a young age. Xavi became renowned for his outstanding passing skills and ball control. He possessed a unique ability to control the game on the field, distribute passes, and create attacks for his team.
He began his professional career in 1998, joining the youth team of Barcelona. Over time, he became an integral part of Barcelona's main squad and a product of the legendary La Masia academy. He spent 17 years at FC Barcelona, eventually becoming its captain and one of the main inspirations behind the "tiki-taka" style of play.
Xavi helped Barcelona win numerous domestic and international trophies, including 8 La Liga titles and 4 UEFA Champions League titles. He became the heart and soul of the team, and his on-field leadership was invaluable to Barcelona's success during that period. Xavi is also a key figure for the Spanish national team. With the national squad, he won the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and the UEFA European Championship in 2008 and 2012.
His intellectual approach to the game and his ability to create opportunities for his teammates made him an irreplaceable player for the national team. After leaving Barcelona in 2015, Xavi moved to Qatari club Al-Sadd, where he continued to showcase his skills and leadership. He helped the team win several national titles and became a symbol of football development in Qatar.
In addition to his playing career, Xavi has shown an interest in coaching. He has completed coaching courses and expressed a desire to one day manage his former team, Barcelona. Xavi Hernandez is not only a player of exceptional class but also a symbol of virtuosity, game reading ability, and leadership on the field. His style and contribution to world football will be remembered by generations of fans.
Barcelona kick off their Champions League knockouts campaign in two weeks’ time when they travel to take on Napoli in the first leg of their last 16 tie. The competition could well be their only realistic chance of silverware this season, given that they are out of the Copa del Rey, and are eight points behind Real Madrid in the La Liga title race.
As per UEFA rules, clubs are allowed to make three changes to their squads from the group stages, and given that they only added Vitor Roque during the winter transfer window, Barcelona have been somewhat hard-pressed to do all of these alterations.
Gavi and Alejandro Balde have likely been excluded from the squad as they are both out for the rest of the season. Roque has been added, while Sport say that head coach Xavi Hernandez has opted to include Pau Cubarsi and Unai Hernandez in the A list section of Barcelona’s squad for the knockout stages.
Cubarsi was on the B list for the group stages, and was on the bench for matches against Shakhtar Donetsk. He has since become an important member of the Barcelona first team, hence why the decision has been taken to upgrade him.
Read on m.allfootballapp.com