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 had only scored 5 goals in a match twice under Xavi Hernandez this time last week, but with the arrival of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, he has doubled that total.
Both Cancelo and Felix started against Real Betis and Royal Antwerp, with remarkably positive results. Beyond the scorelines, Barcelona looked convincing in their domination, showing penetration but also averaging 68% possession over those two games.
During the international break, Robert Lewandowski had noted that Barcelona were not playing with enough players in attack, but the arrival of Felix has changed that.
Xavi was asked how exactly Felix had helped Lewandowski, who also has two goals in his last two games.
“Joao has done us good becuase of his dynamism, the understanding he has of when he has to give us depth, he understands when he has to come deeper. He is a player that in between the lines can be another central midfielder, and this helps us a lot. He doesn’t lose the ball in areas where we are building up, and when he needs to play it simple, he plays it simple. This doesn’t just benefit Robert, this benefits the whole team.”
“I think it has done Robert good, but also the step forward that Gavi has taken, that Frenkie has, Ori [Oriol Romeu], who are giving assists, Gundogan, obviously too. He improves the whole team. But I think everyone has taken a step forward, and this was what was required, there are a lot of footballers at a high level.”
Felix has certainly been the flashiest of Barcelona’s players over the past week, scoring three and assisting one, but there is little doubt in Catalonia that Frenkie de Jong and Gavi are playing their best football currently. In terms of speed of circulation, Barcelona have rarely moved the ball as fast
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