Barcelona officially appoint Xavi Hernandez as new manager

11/06/2021

Barcelona has confirmed that Xavi Hernandez will be the one to succeed Ronald Koeman at the helm after the Spaniard left his position as manager of Qatari club Al-Sadd. The former Blaugrana player signed a deal with Barcelona through the 2023-24 season and will be in the dugout for their next game.

Xavi Hernandez is one of the most iconic midfielders of his generation to have graced the Camp Nou between 1997 and 2015, after having graduated from their youth academy. The Spanish maestro has accumulated a collection of 25 trophies with the Blaugrana which includes eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies. Xavi made 767 appearances for the La Liga side, and is their second most capped player after Lionel Messi, while scoring 85 goals and providing 185 assists across all competitions.

The Spaniard left Barcelona for Al Sadd in 2015 to continue his playing career in Qatar before becoming the manager of the club. Xavi delivered the league title in his second season in charge of the club and went on to win five more trophies in his tenure at the club. The Blaugrana icon has now returned to Barcelona as their new manager after the Spanish giants sacked Ronald Koeman for their woeful form in domestic and European competitions. A daunting task awaits Xavi as he will be tasked with steadying their ship while ushering in a new era in the history of the club under the Spaniard.

"FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi Hernandez for him to become first team coach for the rest of the current season and two more seasons. Xavi Hernandez, a youth team product at Barca, has left his current club, Al Sadd of Qatar, after talks held over the last few days with the owners of the club. It is expected that Xavi Hernandez will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and that on Monday 8 November his presentation as new FC Barcelona’s first team coach will take place in an event open to the public at Camp Nou. After the event, Xavi Hernandez will appear in a press conference in the Ricard Maxenchs press room," said Barcelona in a statement on their official website.