Xavi Announces Retirement | Ready To Take On Coaching Role

Barcelona legendary midfielder and Spanish great, Xavi has announced that he will be hanging his boots at the end of the season to pursue a career in coaching.

The 39-year-old lifted eight Laliga titles, four Champions League titles and three Copa del Reys in his stint at Barcelona before spending his last four years in faraway Saudi Arabia where he plied his trade with Al Sadd.

Having won the league with Al Sadd, the Barcelona great believes the time is ripe to move on to another phase of his career.

In a letter published by AS, a Spanish Newspaper outlet, Xavi said:

“It has been a privilege to play football until I was 39 years old and now I would like to finish the season at the top by winning the Emir Cup and reaching the next phase in the Asian Champions League.

“This is my last season as a player but I’m looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me as a coach.

“What I have achieved in the last two decades has been a priviledge and, therefore, I believe it’s my duty to take the initiative of the field an return through football whenever possible.”

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Xavi was an absolute beauty to watch in a Barcelona jersey and would go down as one of the greatest Barcelona players, being the heart of the Catalans midfield in their treble winning season.

Since his move to Qatar, the midfielder has lifted the Qatari Cup in the 2017 campaign taking on the role of skipper and making 84 appearances across all competitions for the Saudi club over four seasons.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the future coaching career of one of the best players to have ever graced the game.

Xavi says his philosophy as a coach would reflect the style developed at Barcelona for so many years under the influence of Johan Cryuff and La Masia. He says the hallmark of his teams would be possession football as it was in Barcelona and Spain.

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