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 manager Xavi Hernandez is said to still be involved in planning for next season alongside Sporting Director Deco, something that gave further momentum to talk of him potentially going back on his decision to leave the club. Despite that, Barcelona are not actively pursuing one of the players that Xavi ‘loves’.
Amid talk that this could be Barcelona’s last chance to sign Xavi’s dream signing of Manchester City star Bernardo Silva, the Blaugrana appear to have shifted their attentions away from Villarreal creator Alex Baena. Matteo Moretto has confirmed to Football España that Barcelona did consider him as an option – past-tense – and that Xavi is ‘in love’ with Baena’s talent.
However his €60m release clause is likely to be a major obstacle to the Blaugrana, and even if Villarreal are willing to negotiate below that price for the 22-year-old, he will have interest from the Premier League, who can no doubt outbid the Catalans.
This season Baena has built upon previous impressive campaigns, scoring 5 goals and giving 13 assists in 38 appearances. The chief creative presence on the Yellow Submarine alongside Gerard Moreno, Baena is also the leading assist-provider in La Liga, with nine, one ahead of Robert Lewandowski and Nico Williams. He made his Spain debut in September last year, and was called up again in March.
Image via LiveMedia/Ivan Terron/DPPI
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