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.
Ousmane Dembélé (26) will return to FC Barcelona for the first time since signing for Paris Saint-Germain in August of last year.
In six seasons and 185 games for the Blaugrana, the Frenchman scored 40 goals and provided 43 assists, but it is fair to say that his tenure in Spain’s second city was marked by one consistent: Inconsistency.
As with so many players in world football, the consensus is that Dembélé’s price tag (105M€ plus 40M€ in bonuses) to sign him from Borussia Dortmund weighed heavily on the players shoulders, burdened with the inflated expectations that invariably come with such a deal.
Of course, the player’s at times unprofessional lifestyle didn’t help his cause, with regular reports in Spanish media telling of his punctuality issues in arriving to training due to staying up late to play video games. This, and frequent injuries that may or may not have been linked to his behaviour off the field, saw fans patience wear thin.
Despite his erratic form and frequent absences, Dembélé retained huge support from Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez and enjoyed some fruitful spells of form. In 2021/2022, the Frenchman was the best passer in La Liga, with 13 assists in 21 appearances making the campaign his best statistically.
Although the player-coach relationship was excellent, the relationship between the ex-Stade Rennais man’s representatives and the Barcelona board was less so, with then Director of Football Mateu Alemany announcing that Démbélé had to leave in January 2022 after refusing to sign a contract extension. Once again, it was down to Xavi to calm things down, mediating between the two parties to come to an agreement of a two year extension with a 50M€ release clause inserted.
And so we come to Tuesday
Read on getfootballnewsfrance.com