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.
Carlo Ancelotti's side travel to Bavaria for the semi-final first leg clash on Tuesday, in a fixture dubbed the 'European Clasico', the most repeated in the competition's history. Despite Madrid's forbidding nickname for Bayern, they have shaded the Bundesliga side across their 26 encounters, with 12 wins to Bayern's 11.
In the last decade Madrid clearly have the edge on the German giants. The record 14-time winners knocked out Bayern in each of their three most recent tangles, in the semi-finals in 2014 and 2018, and the quarter-finals in 2017. Real went on to win the Champions League every time. Ancelotti was on the receiving end in 2017, when Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick knocked his Bayern side out in extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A few months later Bayern sacked the Italian, with Madrid's return to the Allianz Arena a chance for the competition's most decorated coach to prove a point to his former employers. With Bayern losing their grip on the Bundesliga title to upstarts Bayer Leverkusen this season, the relative quality of Ancelotti's all-too-brief era is missed.
Back then, Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso was a key part of Bayern's spine - how times change. Ancelotti argued the refereeing was bad on that night, with Bayern midfielder Arturo Vidal harshly dismissed, and one of Ronaldo's goals offside. It was another example of Madrid somehow finding a way to win in Europe from tricky situations.
Bayern, six-time Champions League winners, have only lifted the trophy once since their 2013 triumph over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley. By contrast, 'Los Blancos' have won it five times in that period. Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said last week Madrid's success breeds more success, after they showed steel to overcome
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