As Xavi Hernandez signed off his glittering playing career at Barcelona with a second European treble in 2015, he had a message for the tearful crowd: «I hope this isn't a goodbye but a 'see you soon'.»
Xavi's shock announcement that he would be stepping down as Barcelona manager at the end of the season carried a sense of relief, from all parties involved, that screamed good riddance rather than goodbye.
Hours earlier, the Catalan giants had slumped to an extraordinary 5-3 defeat at home to relegation-threatened Villarreal. After overturning a two-goal deficit to lead 3-2, Barcelona shipped an 84th-minute equaliser before imploding in stoppage time. Just three days earlier, Xavi's side were spat out on the wrong side of another bonkers contest, limping out of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals at the hands of Athletic Club.
However, Xavi's delayed resignation had been in the post. As the beleaguered manager admitted: «I had my mind made up for days.» But how did the prodigal son's return sour?
Ahead of the Catalan derby that sealed the Spanish top-flight title for Barcelona last May, Xavi took a moment to recognise the «fundamental» role played by those behind the scenes, singling out the club's director of football, Mateu Alemany, and sporting director, Jordi Cruyff. By the start of September, both figures had left Barcelona.
Deco has assumed full control of the club's transfers and has been repeatedly accused of having a frosty relationship with Xavi after the pair supposedly butted heads on some arrivals last summer.
There have also been growing whispers of Xavi's run-ins with club president Joan Laporta. Barcelona's current figurehead appointed Xavi as manager in November 2021 but was reluctant, especially after the former
Read on 90min.com