“I’ve spoken with him, he’s had a very hard time” - Santi Cazorla accuses Barcelona of being ‘unfair’ to Xavi; says club legend ‘suffered’ a lot

Veteran Spanish international Santi Cazorla spoke about compatriot Xavi's stint at FC Barcelona in a recent interview with The Athletic. Watching his former Spanish teammates like Xavier Hernandez and Mikel Arteta become head coaches, Cazorla gave his take on their tenures at big clubs.

Speaking about Xavi, who took over at Barcelona in November 2021 and was subsequently sacked after the 2023-24 season, Cazorla accused the Blaugrana of being unfair to their former club captain.

He said (via The Athletic):

“I know Xavi feels for Barcelona what I feel for Oviedo. He took over in a low moment, due to his love of the club and wanting to help. He put faith in young players who today are emerging as world-class, like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. He got them back challenging for trophies. But that was not valued."

The former Arsenal midfielder added:

“They were unfair with him and he’s suffered a lot. I’ve spoken with him, he’s had a very hard time. He wants to rest now and spend time with his family. But in the future, he will coach again.”

Xavi led Barcelona to a La Liga title in the 2022-23 season. He reportedly decided to step down as manager at the end of 2023-24 campaign only for the club to convince him otherwise before eventually sacking him anyway.

Xavi accepted his Barcelona fate with grace

Back in May 2024, Xavi was reportedly informed by club president Joan Laporta of his decision to sack the Spaniard and hire Hansi Flick (via ESPN). The former Barca club captain took the decision with a brave face, saying:

"I spoke with the president and he transmitted to me his reasons for considering the need for a change. All I can do is accept it and respect it. He's the one who makes the decisions at the club. We shook hands, hugged and wished each other the best. I will be another fan in the stands now."

He added:

"The decision was made thinking of the club's [best interests] because they believe a change of direction is needed. I have remained motivated, hungry and ambitious until now. I believe in the squad, that we could do big things with small changes, but it was not to be."

Barcelona finished second in La Liga last season, 10 points behind Real Madrid. After 19 games into the current season, they are third, six points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.