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 manager Xavi Hernandez is arguably under more pressure than ever before during his reign, following a series of poor performances on which the Blaugrana must stew over during the international break. While no doubt there are holes in the Barcelona squad, increasingly the finger is being pointed at the manager.
Something which former Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig seems to be in line with. Following their 2-1 win over Alaves, Xavi was not only slated for the performance of his side, but also his justification for Barcelona’s issues.
After the match, Puig liked a tweet from journalist Josep Capdevila calling Barcelona unrecognisable.
“Xavi is on the way to achieving it: a Barca starting XI without an academy product. Today, just two. We are on our way to a totally unrecognisable Barca.”
Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez were the only academy players in the starting XI against Alaves, but in fairness to Xavi, he wasn’t blessed with alternatives. Oriol Romeu, Alejandro Balde and reserve goalkeeper Inaki Pena were the only senior options on the bench, with Marc Casado and Ander Astralaga filling out the bench. Gavi was suspended and Sergi Roberto is unavailable through injury.
Of all the criticisms that can be made of Xavi, his use of academy players is low down on the list. Puig, 22, did not see eye to eye with Xavi during the period of crossover between the two. While many expected the exit of Ronald Koeman to herald increased game time for Puig, he remained relegated to the bench as Gavi increased in importance, ahead of his ultimate departure to LA Galaxy. This is not the first time he has made his thoughts about Xavi known either, telling the media that he was not treated well by the iconic former midfielder.
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