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.
The departure of Ousmane Dembele from Barcelona shocked many this past summer. Given a key role and plenty of love by manager Xavi Hernandez, for the first time it looked as if Dembele was content at the club. Yet Paris Saint-Germain whisked him away for his €50m release clause.
Part of the surprise was that Dembele was willing to leave the Blaugrana after so long struggling to finally have things in place in order to perform at his best. According to Cadena SER, he was open to staying at the club too.
Dembele had a year left on his deal last summer, and was expecting a renewal offer from Barcelona to tie his future to the club. Yet with relations strained between his agent Moussa Sissoko and Mateu Alemany, then Director of Football, no offer came.
In spite of the arrival of new Sporting Director Deco, the PSG winger received no offer to extend his deal either before or after PSG’s interest, with the Blaugrana making it clear that they were fine to see him leave the club. In fact, part of the reason PSG convinced Dembele to join them was by signalling Deco’s presence. Before joining Barcelona, Deco was Raphinha’s agent, and the French side argued that Dembele was unlikely to get a fair deal either in sporting or financial terms with Deco there.
One of their most productive forwards last season, Dembele was a key part of their title run last season, although he did miss multiple months through injury too. With Raphinha, Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal all preferring to play on the right, Barcelona are well covered for the position, with the club desperately in need of income too.
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