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.
Businessman Victor Font, a former candidate for the presidency of FC Barcelona, published an open letter to members on Thursday in which he called for the club to "turn the page" on a management model from "the 80s of the last century" and to re-found the club in order to protect its ownership model. In the letter, entitled "Let's re-found Barca", Font criticised the direction the club has taken since the arrival of Joan Laporta as president, which, he said, "has further aggravated the dramatic situation that the current board inherited" in March 2021.
"It was necessary to immediately execute a shock plan that would have allowed us to renew Messi and, hand in hand with partners with knowledge of the sports and entertainment business, capitalise the club, reduce losses and have financial muscle to complement home-grown talent with one or two world stars," he defended.
Font, who, in the last elections, received close to 32% of the votes, pointed out that the club's financial health has worsened in the last three years - "we have generated 1,000 million in operating losses", he recalled - and regretted that Laporta manages the club like a family business. "Managing Barça with friends and family and from the trenches, without the capacity to retain prestigious executives, is inappropriate for the magnitude of the club," he added.
He also questioned the club's decision to "go hand in hand with Real Madrid and Florentino Perez on many institutional issues", in an allusion to the European Super League project that both clubs are promoting. For Font, "this mess" in the management of the club has had an effect on the sporting side and also on the figure of the coach Xavi Hernandez, the flagship of the project with which he presented
Read on besoccer.com