Manager Profile: Xavi
Xavier Hernández, more known as Xavi, is the manager of FC Barcelona with whom he played for his entire La Liga career.
A product of the fabled La Masia, the midfielder made his La Liga debut in 1998 in a 3-1 away win against Valencia. He did not leave Catalunya until 2015 when he moved to Qatar until his retirement in 2019.
Xavi’s coaching debut happened with his last team, Al Sadd, guiding them to seven trophies before he was tapped by his Spanish former club in November 2021 to replace Ronald Koeman.
The 41-year-old native of Terrassa was a serial winner at Camp Nou, with all but four of the 29 trophies that he won in his club career being with the Catalan side. He won La Liga eight times, the Copa Del Rey thrice, and the Champions League four times. He was part of the club’s treble-winning side in 2009 and 2015 under Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique, respectively.
Internationally, Xavi had a colorful career with Spain (133 caps, 12 goals), winning two consecutive European Championships, as well as the 2010 World Cup, with him being the midfield maestro of the vaunted tiki-taka.
