Xavi

Xavi's progression through the teams earned him a first-team appearance in a Copa Catalunya match against Lleida on 5 May 1998[23] and he scored his first goal on 18 August 1998 in the 1998 Supercopa de España against Mallorca. His debut in La Liga came against Valencia on 3 October 1998 in a 3–1 victory for Barcelona. Initially featuring intermittently both for the reserve and senior teams, Xavi scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Real Valladolid when Barcelona were in tenth position in the league. Sustained impressive performances meant that he became a key member of Louis van Gaal's title-winning team, finishing his debut season with 26 matches played and being named 1999 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year. Xavi became Barcelona's principal playmaker after an injury to Pep Guardiola in the 1999–2000 season.[24][25]

Xavi (right) with Carles Puyol and Ronaldinho at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 2006

In these years, Barcelona was on the verge of bankruptcy and struggling to keep its place in La Liga's elite. Playing midfield, but in a more defensive role, Xavi made 20 assists and scored 7 goals in those two seasons. On 16 March 2002, he scored his first goal in El Clásico against Real Madrid.[26]

Xavi was named the vice-captain in the 2004–05 season, in which he helped Barcelona win La Liga and the 2004 Supercopa de España.[27] He was named La Liga Spanish Player of the Year in 2005.[27]

In the 2005–06 season, Xavi tore the ligaments in his left knee in training; he was out of action for four months but returned in April and was on the substitutes bench for Barcelona's win in the 2006 Champions League Final against Arsenal. He also won La Liga and the Supercopa de España again.[27]

After being named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2008, Xavi spoke to Bayern Munich about a transfer, but newly appointed Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola convinced him that he was too important to the club to be allowed to leave.[29] He was a main part of Barcelona's treble and scored the fourth goal in the 4–1 win in the 2009 Copa del Rey Final against Athletic Bilbao, with a free kick. In La Liga, one of his most significant games was the 6–2 Clásico victory over Real Madrid on 2 May; he assisted four goals – once to Carles Puyol, once to Thierry Henry and twice to Lionel Messi.[30]

Xavi helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League Final 2–0 against Manchester United, assisting the second goal by crossing to Messi for his header.[31] Prior to the match, Manchester United coach Sir Alex Ferguson heaped praise on the central midfield combination of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, stating, "I don't think Xavi and Iniesta have ever given the ball away in their lives. They get you on that carousel and they can leave you dizzy."[32] Xavi was voted "UEFA Champions League best midfielder" for his contribution during Barcelona's victorious 2008–09 Champions League campaign.[33] Xavi was the highest assisting player in La Liga with 20,[34] and in the Champions League, with 7; he earned 29 assists overall that season. Xavi was under contract to Barça until 2014 after extending his contract during the 2008–09 season.[35] The new contract made him one of the club's biggest earners, with a salary of €7.5 million a year.[35]

Xavi in action for Barcelona in 2008

During the 2009–10 season, journalists increasingly noted Xavi's contribution to the Barcelona team. For example:

"Quite simply the best midfielder of modern football. It could even be argued that Xavi and Matthäus are the two best in this position in history. World class for several years now, it is the past three seasons in particular where the 30-year-old has been untouchable. Xavi’s passing is up there with Michel Platini, he creates countless goals with genius through balls while virtually never relinquishing possession."[36]

In the 2009–10 season, Xavi again topped the assists table and provided both the assists in Barcelona's 2–0 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu. Barcelona won the Liga title with a record 99 points, and Xavi was acclaimed Barcelona's second-best player in a season-long vote.[37] On 3 June 2010, Madrid-based newspaper Marca awarded him third place in the annual Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano award for the best player in La Liga, behind Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[38]

On 9 June 2010, Xavi signed a new four-year contract with the club, which could be automatically renewed up to 30 June 2016 based on number of games played.[40] On 29 November, he scored his third goal against arch-rivals Real Madrid in a 5–0 home win. On 18 December, he scored another goal against Espanyol in a 5–1 win. In the Champions League, Xavi scored a valuable goal with an assist from David Villa in a home win against Arsenal, that saw Barcelona progress to the quarter-finals.[41]

Xavi was one of the three finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, and finished third in the vote behind his Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta.[42][43] He narrowly defeated Messi to win the Player of the Year award from World Soccer magazine.[44]

Xavi (middle) with Barcelona teammates Carles Puyol (left) and Lionel Messi (right) in December 2011

On 2 January 2011, in a league match against Levante, Xavi made his 549th appearance for the club in all competitions, matching the record held by Migueli. Xavi later became the player with the most appearances for Barcelona of all time.[45] On 28 May, Xavi was imperious in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium in London as Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the showpiece for the second time in three seasons, winning 3–1.[27]

Xavi began the 2011–12 season in fine goalscoring form and seemed to grow in his influence of the team despite the long-anticipated return of Cesc Fàbregas and the promotion of Thiago to create added competition for places in Barça's attacking midfield positions. On 18 December, in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final in Yokohama, Barcelona won 4–0 against Brazilian side Santos as Xavi scored a goal and made an assist to Lionel Messi.[46] After the ball was slightly behind him, Xavi brought the ball down with a cocked leg, effectively using his ankle to control it, before slipping a pass through to Messi, who scored the first goal.[46]

Xavi scored the winning goal in the Group H game against A.C. Milan, a vital match for Barcelona's progression in the Champions League knockout stage. In total, Xavi had the best goalscoring return of his career in 2011–12 season with ten Liga goals, two in the Copa del Rey – which Barcelona won – and one in the Club World Cup final win.[27]

Xavi as Barcelona captain in November 2012

On 18 December 2012, Barcelona renewed Xavi's contract, extending it until 30 June 2016.[47] He scored a goal against Real Madrid in a 3–2 win for Barcelona. Xavi was named in the FIFA World XI, along with teammates Iniesta, Messi and Dani Alves.[48] Barcelona had virtually secured their La Liga title by the start of 2013, eventually equalling Real Madrid's 100-point record of the previous season.[49][50]

On 16 January 2014, Xavi made his 700th appearance for the first team against Getafe in the Copa del Rey.[51] For the first time in five years, Barcelona ended the season without a major trophy; they were defeated in the Copa del Rey Final by Real Madrid with Gareth Bale scoring a late winner, and lost the league in the last game to Atlético Madrid.[52][53]

In June 2014, it was announced that Xavi would be leaving the club.[54][55][56] On 22 July, however, after talks with newly appointed manager and former teammate Luis Enrique, Xavi decided to stay at Camp Nou for one more season.[57] He was also appointed as club captain. On 25 April 2015, Xavi made his 500th La Liga appearance, becoming the eighth player in history to do so.[58] On 4 June, a farewell event was held at Barcelona for Xavi with players, managers, friends and family paying tribute to him.[59][60]

On 6 June 2015, Xavi came on as a 78th-minute substitute for Andrés Iniesta to make his 767th and final appearance for Barcelona during the 2015 Champions League Final, as the club won its fifth European Cup, beating Juventus at Berlin's Olympiastadion. Xavi, as club captain, lifted the trophy.[9][61] This made Barcelona the first club in history to win the treble of domestic league, domestic cup and European Cup twice.[62] Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Gerard Piqué, Pedro, Sergio Busquets and Dani Alves were part of both treble-winning teams.[62] Xavi's 767 appearances was a club record until surpassed by Lionel Messi in March 2021.[63]

Xavi playing for Al Sadd against Persepolis in April 2018

On 21 May 2015, Xavi announced that he would join Qatari club Al Sadd at the end of the 2014–15 season on a three-year contract. According to his agent, the deal would involve him becoming an ambassador for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, and also start his coaching qualifications.[64] He made his debut for Al Sadd in a 4–0 win over Mesaimeer on 13 September 2015, assisting in the team's first goal.[65] In the following match, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Umm Salal.[66] Al Sadd ended the league campaign in third position putting them in a place for the next season's AFC Champions League, the elite club competition of the Asian Football Confederation. Xavi scored three goals during the season. In the Champions League, Al Sadd were knocked out from the qualifying rounds by Emirati side Al Jazira on penalties; Xavi missed his spot kick.[67]

Xavi won his first trophy with Al Sadd following a 2–1 victory over El Jaish in the Qatar Cup final on 29 April 2017.[68] On 10 November 2017, Xavi said that he would retire when his contract with Al Sadd expired at the end of the 2017–18 season, and would later pursue a coaching career.[69] However, he postponed these plans and signed a two-year contract extension on 24 May 2018.[70] In October 2018, Al Sadd reached the 2018 AFC Champions League semi-finals of the tournament with Xavi as captain but were eliminated 2–1 by Persepolis.[71]

On 2 May 2019, Xavi announced that he would be retiring from professional football at the end of the season.[72] On 20 May 2019, Xavi played the final match of his career, a 2–0 defeat to Persepolis in Tehran, Iran which was Al Sadd's final AFC Champions League group match; before the match, he stated that he would like to remain in Qatar after his retirement, and that he would look to begin a coaching career, commenting: "The idea is to start as a coach in Qatar, to test myself and get some experience."[73]

Xavi was named Euro 2008's player of the tournament after Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final.[75] Xavi was dominant in midfield, where his passing and reading of the game was pivotal to Spain's success, as he led his nation to their first silverware since the 1964 European Championship.[75] Andy Roxburgh, head of UEFA's Technical Committee, said, "We have chosen Xavi because he epitomizes the Spanish style of play. He was influential in the whole possession, passing and penetrating kind of game that Spain played."[11]

Xavi scored the first goal in the semi-final against Russia, which Spain won 3–0.[76] In the final, he made the pass from which Fernando Torres scored the winning goal.[77]

Xavi at the 2010 FIFA World Cup

Xavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with Spain eventually winning their first World Cup.[78] He provided the most accurate passes, 599 with a passing success rate of 91%, and he crossed the ball inside the 18-yard box more than any other player in the tournament. In the final he made 57 accurate forward half passes.[79] Xavi also covered 80.20 kilometres throughout the competitions, averaging approximately 11.5 kilometres per game,[80] more than any other player.[81] In the final, he covered a distance of almost 15 kilometres.[82]

Xavi is the beating heart of this Spanish team, the man dictating the tiki-taka pulse of pass after pass. He may be just 5ft 7in with a curiously hunched gait but no player more influences the way his whole team plays. He doesn't score, doesn't really tackle: he just passes and passes with a precision and wit unmatched by any of his peers.

— Duncan White of The Telegraph on Xavi at the 2010 World Cup.[83]

During the round of 16 match against Portugal, Xavi provided a backheel pass in the 63rd minute to David Villa. Although Villa had his shot with his left foot blocked by goalkeeper Eduardo, he then put in the rebound with his right foot for the winning goal.[84] In the semi-final against Germany, Xavi crossed from a corner to the edge of the six-yard box, where Carles Puyol scored with a header into the top-right corner.[85] Spain dominated possession throughout the competition, averaging 59% possession during their three group matches, and 44 passes per shot throughout the entire World Cup, in large part thanks to midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta, and Xabi Alonso, who were singled out in the media for their role in Spain's title–run; Spain also completed more passes (3,547) than any World Cup team since 1966.[75][86]

Xavi (left) turns away from Italy's Riccardo Montolivo in the Euro 2012 final

Xavi played for Spain at Euro 2012 which Spain won by defeating Italy 4–0 in the final. Xavi attempted 136 passes (127 completed, 94% success rate) during Spain's 4–0 victory in the group stage match against the Republic of Ireland, more than any other player in a European Championship match. The previous record of 117 had been set by Ronald Koeman in a Euro 1992 match between the Netherlands and Denmark. Xavi and Andrés Iniesta made 229 passes in the match, more than the combined Irish team managed. "Pum, pum, pum, pum" was how Xavi described the rhythmic sound of the ball moving between himself and his midfield partner.[87]

With Xavi providing two assists in the final, for Jordi Alba and Fernando Torres, he became the first player to register assists in two European Championship finals.[12] Spain's UEFA Euro 2012 victory made Xavi the most decorated player in Spanish football history, a status that he previously shared with Carles Puyol, who missed the tournament.[12]

On 5 August 2014, following the 2014 World Cup where Spain were eliminated at the group stage, Xavi announced his retirement from international football, having made 133 appearances in a 14-year period.[88][89] Spain's World Cup-winning manager Vicente del Bosque paid tribute, stating that Xavi was "a key part of the team's style of play" and "he was more important to us than even the manager", also adding, "We will miss him both on and off the pitch. He is a player who we hold in great esteem both personally and as a player. He is and always will be a person and a player who is greatly valued by the federation, the coaching staff and by myself."[90]

On 28 May 2019 it was announced that Xavi would take over as manager of Al Sadd on a two-year contract.[91][92] Xavi helped the club reach the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League, where they were eliminated by Al-Hilal FC 6–5 on aggregate.[93] In the league, the club finished third. In the 2019–20 season, Xavi led his team to win one domestic trophy, the Qatar Cup. In the 2020 AFC Champions League, Al Sadd reached the round of 16 but were eliminated 1–0 by Persepolis.[94][71] During his 97 games in charge of Al Sadd, spanning two and a half years, he led the club to seven trophies.[95]

On 3 November 2021, Al Sadd drew 3–3 against Al-Duhail in his final game in-charge. Two days later Al Sadd announced Xavi's move to Barcelona after his release clause was paid.[96]

On 6 November 2021, Xavi returned to his former club Barcelona as the new manager replacing Ronald Koeman, on a contract until June 2024.[97] Following his arrival, Xavi reportedly implemented stricter rules for the players which included re-introduction of fines, early arrival for training and tracking of players' off pitch activities.[98][99][100]

In his first game in charge, Barcelona defeated local rival Espanyol by a 1–0 scoreline at the Camp Nou in La Liga to win his first Catalan Derby as manager.[101] On 4 December, Xavi suffered his first defeat as Barcelona manager after losing 1–0 to Real Betis at home in La Liga.[102] In Xavi's first Champions League campaign, he took charge with two group stage matches remaining. After drawing 0–0 with Benfica at the Camp Nou on 23 November and losing 3–0 to Bayern Munich on 8 December at the Allianz Arena, Barcelona finished third in the group stage which put them in the Europa League knockout round play-offs.[103][104]

On 12 January 2022, in his first Clásico in charge, Barcelona were beaten by Real Madrid 2–3 at the end of extra-time in the Supercopa de España semi-final.[105] Barcelona suffered an early exit from the Copa del Rey after being beaten by Athletic Bilbao 3–2 at the end of extra-time in the round of 16.[106] In the winter transfer window, Barcelona strengthened their attack with the signings of Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Adama Traoré on loan. After a difficult first few months for Xavi, Barcelona quickly turned around their form with the new signings playing a big role in the process. The team entered a 14-match unbeaten streak starting with a 0–1 victory over Alavés in La Liga, during this run they scored four goals in 6 out of 11 matches and also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Europa League. On 20 March, Xavi won his first Clásico as manager beating Real Madrid 0–4 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabéu ending their five-match Clásico losing streak and extending their unbeaten run to 12 matches.[107][108] On April 14, Xavi and his men who were on the verge of a monumental comeback, were knocked out of the UEL quarter-finals by Eintracht Frankfurt, bringing their fifteen-game unbeaten run to an end.[109] In La Liga, he led Barcelona to a second-placed finish from ninth position when he took charge.[110][111]

Scores and results list Spain's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Xavi goal.[142]

List of international goals scored by Xavi

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	26 March 2005	Helmántico Stadium, Salamanca, Spain	China	2–0	3–0	Friendly
2	6 September 2006	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland	Northern Ireland	1–0	2–3	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
3	11 October 2006	La Condomina Stadium, Murcia, Spain	Argentina	1–0	2–1	Friendly
4	2 June 2007	Skonto Stadium, Riga, Latvia	Latvia	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
5	12 September 2007	Carlos Tartiere Stadium, Oviedo, Spain	Latvia	1–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
6	21 November 2007	Gran Canaria Stadium, Las Palmas, Spain	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
7	4 June 2008	El Sardinero Stadium, Santander, Spain	United States	1–0	1–0	Friendly
8	26 June 2008	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Russia	1–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2008
9	20 August 2008	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark	Denmark	2–0	3–0	Friendly
10	29 March 2011	Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Kaunas, Lithuania	Lithuania	1–0	3–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
11	6 September 2011	Las Gaunas Stadium, Logroño, Spain	Liechtenstein	3–0	6–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
12	7 September 2012	Pasarón Stadium, Pontevedra, Spain	Saudi Arabia	3–0	5–0	Friendly
13	11 October 2013	Iberostar Stadium, Palma, Spain	Belarus	1–0	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying

Barcelona[146]

• La Liga: 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15
• Copa del Rey: 2008–09, 2011–12, 2014–15
• Supercopa de España: 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013
• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2014–15
• UEFA Super Cup: 2009, 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2009, 2011

Al Sadd[146]

• Qatar Stars League: 2018–19
• Qatar Cup: 2017
• Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2017
• Emir of Qatar Cup: 2017

Xavi and Spain captain Iker Casillas after winning the UEFA Euro 2012

Spain U20

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 1999

Spain

• FIFA World Cup: 2010
• UEFA European Championship: 2008, 2012

Al Sadd

• Qatar Stars League: 2020–21
• Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
• Sheikh Jassim Cup: 2019
• Emir of Qatar Cup: 2020, 2021
• Qatari Stars Cup: 2019–20

• World Soccer Player of the Year: 2010
• UEFA European Championship Player of the Tournament: 2008
• UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year: 2008–09
• IFFHS World's Best Playmaker: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011[147]
• La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year: 1999
• La Liga Spanish Player of the Year: 2005
• La Liga Midfielder of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2011
• FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2010[148]
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008, 2012
• All-time UEFA European Under-21 Championship dream team: 2015[149]
• New York City FC's Ride of Fame: September 2015[150]
• FIFA FIFPro World11: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
• ESM Team of the Year: 2008–09, 2010–11, 2011–12
• Don Balón Team of the Decade: 2010
• FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2011
• FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2009
• Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award: 2013[151]
• UEFA Ultimate Team of the Year (published 2015)[152]
• Marca Legend Award: 2015
• AFC Champions League Fans' Best XI: 2018[153]
• AFC Champions League OPTA Best XI: 2018[153]
• Ballon d'Or Dream Team: 2020[154]
• IFFHS All-time Men's Dream Team: 2021[155]

• Spanish Sportsman of the Year: 2009
• Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit: 2010[156]
• Prince of Asturias Award for Sports: 2010 ¹, 2012 ²