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 got a crucial victory in the Champions League on Tuesday against Porto, and in no small part, due to the excellent performance of Joao Cancelo. On the flipside of that equation was Alejandro Balde, who dropped to the bench in order to move Cancelo to the left side.
Balde has not enjoyed the best start to the season, losing his place not only in the Blaugrana side after a series of bland performances, but also in the Spain squad. As per Catalunya Radio, via Sport, Barcelona are concerned by his drop from last season, but are convinced that as a youngster (20 years of age), they can coach out some of his bigger issues.
The two that stand out are both related to the mental side. Firstly, Barcelona believe that Balde is not naturally the most competitive in terms of his personality, and does not always get the best out of himself on the pitch as a result. Along a similar line, they also feel he struggles to maintain his focus for 90 minutes, which can obviously bring problems defensively.
Whether this is a permanent flaw or not, it was not noticed last season, which suggests that either Balde can work out a way past it, or Barcelona can coach around it. In addition, at the age of 20, a 15 months on from his initial breakthrough into the side, it is only natural his form suffers a dip at some point.
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