ElClasico legacy: Xavi's final Real Madrid visit as Barcelona coach

Back in late January, Xavi Hernández announced that he will part ways with FC Barcelona at the end of the season.

His decision makes the upcoming ELCLASICO between the Catalan side and Real Madrid extra special, as the game at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, April 21st, will be his last rivalry match in charge of Los Blaugrana.

The former academy graduate and FC Barcelona captain returned to coach the team a few years after hanging up his boots. Now, he has the opportunity to bid farewell to his boyhood club by leading them to a victory away at their fierce rivals and keeping their slim title hopes alive.

From La Masia graduate to FC Barcelona's captain

Xavi joined the FC Barcelona academy in 1991 and climbed through the ranks before making his debut with the first team at the age of 18 under Louis van Gaal. The young midfielder celebrated his first LALIGA EA SPORTS trophy in 1998/99, when he started in 16 of the 17 league games he participated in. However, the next five seasons saw Barça struggle to compete for the domestic title, finishing fourth, fourth and sixth in 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03, respectively.

Frank Rijkaard took charge of the team in 2003/04, when FC Barcelona finished second, before a slow start in the next campaign saw them trail Real Madrid by as many as 18 points on Matchday 18. With a historic comeback in the second half of the season, LosBlaugrana miraculously overtook Los Blancos and finished second behind champions Valencia CF. Most importantly, FC Barcelona's comeback sent a message to all contenders that the Catalans were back and should be considered again as legitimate title contenders going forward.

The win that signalled Barça's return came on April 25th, 2004, at the