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.
Despite taking the lead, Barcelonasaid goodbye to the Champions League after losing 1-4 to PSGin Montjuic in a match that was marked by the sending off of Ronald Araujo in the first half when the game was 1-0 in favour of the Catalans.
After the match, Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez was very critical of the refereeing of Istvan Kovacs, who also sent him off during the second half for protesting one of his decisions. The Catalan did not bite his tongue and pointed to the referee as the main responsible for the 'Cule' defeat.
"For me it's too much to give Araujo a red card for that play. That's where the tie was decided. It's a play that marks the game and changes everything," said Xavi on the 'Movistar Liga de Campeones' microphones before pointing the finger more directly at Kovacs when explaining his sending off.
"I told him he was a disaster. He didn't understand anything. He has completely marked the tie. It's a shame that the work of a season is finished because of a refereeing decision," explained the Egarvian.
Xavi explained the reasons why Lamine Yamal was replaced by Inigo Martinez after Araujo's red card. "There was the option of Pedri, who was coming back from injury, but we wanted to have a bit more control with 10 players and that's why I took Lamine off. I had Raphinha, Pedri, Lewandowski, who was our reference up front...", he argued before lamenting the chances his team had despite being a player down. "We could have equalised through Gundogan and even before that we could have made it 2-0 through Robert, but with 10 players it's very difficult," he argued.
Finally, without being as blunt about his future as on other occasions, Xavi sent a message of encouragement for what is to come. "I am not the protagonist.
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