Barcelona announced the appointment of Xavi Hernández, the club legend as the head coach. The former coach, Ronald Koeman was replaced as a result of a bad start to the season.
Xavi has signed a deal including the rest of the current season, plus two additional seasons. He is expected to leave for Barcelona over the weekend, before he is introduced formally as the new head coach at the Camp Nou on Monday.
From his 767 appearances for Barcelona, Xavi won 8 La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues in his time at the Catalan club.
He also was a key factor in Spain’s dominant run from 2008 to 2012, at which time the country won the World Cup and two European Championships.
Xavi quit his time as midfielder for Barcelona in 2015 to begin a new chapter with Qatari side Al-Sadd SC.
He officially retired in 2019, upon which he was appointed as Al-Sadd’s manager. Since then he directed the club towards seven trophies including a league title.
As Xavi is appointed, Barcelona is at 9th position on the table in La Liga. Having procured 16 points from 11 games, Barcelona is 9 points behind the table toppers Real Sociedad.
Securing six points from four matches, Barcelona is second in its group in UEFA Champions League. As Barcelona was unfortunately defeated in its opening two games for 3-0, against Bayern Munich and Benfica, the club ended up second as for now.
Xavi always wanted to return to Barcelona. He signed a new deal with the club in May, extending his contract to 2023.
The former midfielder is considered one of the finest of his generation. Fans can hope that the club will flourish under Xavi. A man with such a great track record is bound to take Barcelona to new heights.
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