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.
Ousmane Dembele will receive a large cut of the €50 million that Paris Saint-Germain are set to pay to secure his signing, according to L'Equipe. The 26-year-old had been heavily linked with an exit this summer and is now on the verge of completing a move to PSG.
The 26-year-old signed a two-year extension with Barcelona last summer. However, the deal included a stipulation whereby his release clause would be lowered to €50 million for the month of July 2023.
Barcelona initially signed Dembele from Borussia Dortmund for a whopping €135 million. As such, the €50 million fee itself represents a huge loss for the Catalans. To make matters worse for Barcelona, they were not in a position to pay a loyalty bonus to Dembele when he signed the new deal last summer.
As a result, they agreed that Dembele and his agent would take 50% of any subsequent transfer fee. Suffice it to say, the Catalans will only receive €25 million from the €50 million that PSG are paying to secure his services.
The rest of the money goes to Dembele and his agent. In total, that represents a loss of €110 million for Barca on the Frenchman.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Dembele and PSG have reached a verbal agreement over a five-year deal. The Parisians have been trying to engineer a move for a while now and have now finally managed to convince the player.
PSG only have until midnight to finalize the deal before Dembele's release clause returns to €100 million. As such, they are in a race against time to finalize the transfer.
The news is likely to disappoint Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernandez who was hoping that the Frenchman would reject PSG's interest and stay put at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Xavi had sounded optimistic about Dembele kicking on at
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