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.
Barcelona icon Gerard Pique has inflamed old tensions with Real Madrid, after declaring that their most recent Champions League triumph will be forgotten in the passing of time.
Pique gave a scathing assessment of Los Blancos during an interview with RAC1, where he was asked about the current state of the La Liga title race, including league leaders Girona.
“It’s scary. They’re beginning to look like Leicester. It’s a unique project and it’s incredible how they play, how they combine.”
He would go on to say that he backed former teammate Xavi Hernandez to turn things around at Barcelona, but admitted that they were the only side he watched regularly now. He didn’t think much of the Real Madrid that he had seen though.
“Madrid at the moment are more of the same, they don’t inspire much but they get results and in February they will be alive in all competitions and in the Champions League we will see.”
Comparing them infavourably with Barcelona’s five Champions League wins.
“I always say it though, our way of doing things and the demands we place on ourselves, when we win, we are remembered forever, when they win, it is just another one. The last one, which was a miracle because they were inferior in each round, and it won’t be remembered.”
Certainly Pique is playing to the galleries with his declarations, and they will no doubt go down well in Catalonia. Even if Real Madrid were perhaps living on the edge during their Champions League win in 2022, it is precisely for that reason that it will live so long in the memory. Few sides if any have stared defeat in the face so closely in the Champions League and lived to come out on top.
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