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.
They have been in the same sphere for much of the past 27 years and the narrative remains stronger than ever: until Mikel Arteta wins a major trophy, he will not fully emerge from Pep Guardiola ’s shadow.
This afternoon Arteta’s Arsenal head to Manchester City looking to make a statement in the Premier League ’s first bonafide three-way title race since 2010. The league will not be won on Easter Sunday but the grip on the trophy could be loosened. And for Arsenal to succeed the apprentice must outsmart his master.
Arteta has been intertwined with Guardiola ever since joining Barcelona ’s academy as a teenager in 1997. "He was my idol,” Arteta said several years ago. “He was the one to try to emulate if I wanted to be a first-team player at Barcelona and we built that relationship from there.”
And while the Basque never made it as a regular in the Barca first team, at a time when Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez were graduating from La Masia, there was a neat symmetry to his debut in the pre-season of 1999.
In a friendly against Hertha Berlin, head coach Louis van Gaal replaced Guardiola, the club captain, with a 16-year-old Arteta.
They would head in different directions: Arteta went back to Barca B before signing for Paris Saint-Germain, Guardiola would move to Italy at the end of the following season after 11 years in the first team at Camp Nou.
Yet their paths were never too far from crossing and Arteta had learnt plenty as he embarked on a solid playing career. Indeed it could be said that Arteta may never have signed for Arsenal in August 2011 if it was not for Guardiola, though the chain of events were unintentional.
Cesc Fabregas’ return to Barcelona, in the midst of a stylistic revolution under Guardiola, meant Arsene
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