FC Barcelona have confirmed that Xavi Hernández would become first team coach for the rest of the current season and two more seasons. Xavi , a youth team product at Barça, has left his current club, Al-Sadd of Qatar, after reaching an agreement with the La Liga side.
It is expected that Xavi Hernández will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and that on Monday 8 November his presentation as new FC Barcelona first team coach will take place in an event open to the public at Camp Nou. After the event Xavi Hernández will appear in a press conference in the Ricard Maxenchs press room.
Shortly we will detail the agenda for the presentation of Xavi Hernández as the new coach of the first team.
Confirmed. Here Xavi’s farewell with Al-Sadd players and staff as he’s leaving the club to become new Barcelona manager. 🛩🇪🇸 #FCB #Xavi pic.twitter.com/Q4SGBQhID5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 5, 2021
Barça legend: 767 games and 25 titles
Xavi is an absolute legend at FC Barcelona. His 767 appearances for the senior team were a record until he was surpassed recently by Leo Messi (778). In his 17 years in the first team (1998 to 2015), he won 25 major trophies:
Liga: 8 (1998/99, 2004/05, 2005/06, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13 & 2014/15)
Champions League: 4 (2005/06, 2008/09, 2010/11 & 2014/15)
Copa del Rey: 3 (2008/09, 2011/12 & 2014/15)
Club World Cup: 2 (2009/10 & 2011/12)
European Super Cups: 2 (2009/10 & 2011/12)
Spanish Super Cups: 6 (2005/06, 2006/07, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2011/12 & 2013/14).
It was meant to be.
Welcome home. pic.twitter.com/gdGdFedk7t— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 6, 2021
Coaching experience
Xavi played out the final years of his career at Al-Sadd in Qatar, and after hanging up his boots in 2019, he became the team coach. He’d only been in the position for a few months when he won the Qatari Super Cup, and also led the team to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League.
In total, he coached the team to seven different trophies, three of them in 2021.