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.
Monday morning is always bad, but it will feel a whole lot worse for Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez, his players and the club’s supporters, who witnessed humiliation on the world stage on Sunday, as Real Madrid picked up the Spanish Super Cup after a comfortable 4-1 victory in Riyadh.
Understandably, Xavi has taken most of the heat for the poor performance in the Saudi capital, and most media outlets across the world have not held back, as reported by Diario AS. Catalan daily newspaper Sport called it a “humiliation”, with Mundo Deportivo labelling Barcelona as “soulless and fragile”.
L’Equipe, as is so often the case, took the harshest approach, and they took aim at Xavi for his decision-making before and during the match.
“Led by their Brazilians and a hat-trick from Vinicius, Real Madrid beat an overwhelmed and disorganised Barcelona. Real Madrid dismantled a Barcelona side weighed down by their defensive errors and Xavi’s suicidal tactics in the Spanish Super Cup. The coach had asked his players to defend high, he was punished by the speed of Rodrygo and especially Vinicius, author of a hat-trick, who made him pay dearly for that game plan.”
The interesting thing is that Xavi has often got his tactics right against Real Madrid, so this situation comes as even more of a surprise. There’s little doubt now that his future as Barcelona manager is on the line, with big results needed in the next few weeks.
Read on football-espana.net