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.
This year in Europe it was supposed to be different, but Barcelona will have to do it the hard way, with coach Xavi Hernandez watching his credit start to drain.
Xavi insisted the Catalans are on the right track after winning LaLiga last season and their three opening Champions League matches, but a shock 1-0 defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk stopped them dead in their tracks on a chilling Tuesday night in Hamburg.
Barca were expected to clinch qualification to the Champions League knock-out rounds but fell woefully short, failing to significantly trouble the Ukrainian champions at any point in the game.
"All the European ghosts of previous years came down on Barcelona," wrote Spanish newspaper Marca.
"The eliminations from past years against Bayern, Benfica, and Inter. And yesterday's opponent had a much lower level than all of these."
While Barcelona still lead Group H on nine points, level with their next opponents Porto, and are expected to qualify, pressure has started to build on Xavi.
Barcelona have not won the Champions League since 2015 and after gambling a chunk of the club's future income to make a slew of signings in 2022, are desperate to reestablish themselves among Europe's elite.
Many Spanish outlets considered the Shakhtar loss, against a team from war-torn Ukraine, who have to play their matches at a neutral stadium, a humiliation.
"Barca, beaten by Shakhtar, are the 'jester' of Europe," ran a headline in newspaper El Pais.
It arrives hot on the heels of two other disappointments.
Losing the Clasico in stoppage time against rivals Real Madrid on October 28 was a morale blow, and even though Barca beat Real Sociedad 1-0 on Saturday, they were lucky to do so after a weak performance.
What they offered against
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