After the ouster of Ronald Koeman, Xavi HernTondez has been appointed FC Barcelona’s new coach to take over from interim Sergi, one of his former teammates, Barça announced on Saturday (November 6th).
Seven years after his departure, Xavi returns to Catalonia “for the remainder of the current season as well as two additional seasons “, specifies the club’s press release. The 41-year-old is expected to arrive in Barcelona this weekend before being featured on Monday, November 8, at an event open to the public at Camp Nou.
Xavi Hernández returns home 6 years after his goodbye from Camp Nou ❤️
– FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 6, 2021
The Al-Sadd club, based in Doha (Qatar), that he has been coaching since 2019, announced that he had reached an agreement with the Catalan club to release him, Friday, November 5, “after payment of a clause stipulated in the contract“, specifies the Qatari club in its press release, and that cooperation”in the future“between the two clubs was also recorded during this transfer.
Turki Al-Ali: The #AlSadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract. We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future. Xavi is an important part of Al-Sadd’s history and we wish him success. pic.twitter.com/3FvCOdYl5X
– # 76 Al Sadd SC | نادي السد (@AlsaddSC) November 5, 2021
His name came back with insistence in the Spanish press since the dismissal of Ronald Koeman after Barça’s loss in the league against Rayo Vallecano. Former captain and number 6 of FC Barcelona, Xavi has won four Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles (Spanish league) in seventeen seasons with the Spanish club.
On October 22, the world champion 2010 had previously mentioned a potential return to Barcelona as manager. “My idea is to become a Barcelona coach. I have never hidden it, it is my goal and my dream. I don’t know if it will happen or not, if they will need me or not, but, for at the moment I’m happy to be at Al-Sadd and very proud to be his coach. If an offer comes in, it will be evaluated and then we will try to make a decision. ” he said in an interview with 20 minutos (Spanish version of the daily 20 minutes).
Now is the time. In his press release, Al-Sadd specifies that the Spaniard “informed us a few days ago of his desire to join Barcelona at this particular time, as the club are at a critical juncture“. True symbol of the Barcelona game developed and magnified by Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernandez will take control of a drifting team, current 9th in Liga and 2nd in its Group E of the Champions League six lengths behind the leader, Bayern Munich, who had come to curb (3-0) the Catalans at Camp Nou in mid-September.