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 came away with three invaluable points from the Reale Arena on Saturday night, but nobody was under any illusions that they were highly fortunate to do so. Least of all their coach, Xavi Hernandez.
He described their performance as unacceptable, in spite of Ronald Araujo’s late winner, and MD have reported on the four key areas which he was displaeased with.
1. Terrible start
Barcelona were close to conceding on a couple of occasions in the opening three minutes, with Ander Barrenetxea drawing an excellent save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while Jules Kounde sent Mikel Oyarzabal through on goal – one of three ball losses in their own half.
2. Poor and disorganised pressure
Barcelona gave La Real few issues in terms of playing out from the back, with Alex Remiro and Martin Zubimendi tearing apart the limp pressure from the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo.
The few things Xavi was pleased with on Saturday against Real Sociedad, as per MD:
– Ter Stegen's distribution
– Araujo and Martinez's bravery on the ball
– Gundogan in the final stages, starting as a pivot and finishing moves in front of the box
– Pedri's control and vision pic.twitter.com/bw5UhdC2z9
— Football España (@footballespana_) November 6, 2023
3. Lack of intensity
Barcelona lost their individual battles for the most part. In the middle of the pitch, Brais Mendez, Mikel Merino and Zubimendi looked hungrier than Fermin Lopez, Ilkay Gundogan and Gavi.
4. Lack of danger
Barcelona barely threatened La Real until the very late stages of the match, with only the odd errant shot prior to that. The only occasion Barcelona broke through the defence just once through an individual action from Gavi, at which point he elected to pass rather than
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