The story behind Xavi’s Ballon d’Or nomination

Xavi

Xavi Hernandez is highly regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time. Having broken into the Barcelona first-team in 1998, he has made close to 700 appearances during an illustrious career for the Spanish outfit.

With 25 trophies to his name, the 33-year-old has won more awards than any other Spanish player in history. This season’s Ballon d’Or nomination is the fifth time he has appeared on the final 23-man shortlist and he will be eager to add this title to his list of achievements.

Major Honours this year

Xavi played a huge role in Barcelona’s success this year, as the team won the league title and the Spanish Super Cup.

However, the club fell short of the final in both the UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey.

Who is Xavi Hernandez?

Having been at the Nou Camp since the age of 11, Xavi is the living embodiment of Barcelona’s philosophy of artful and aesthetically-pleasing football and is undoubtedly one of the globe’s leading playmakers.

Xavi came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, and made his first-team debut against RCD Mallorca on the 18th August 1998. He has since become the first player in the club’s history to play 150 international matches. The creative genius is truly a legend of the game.

Key Stats

Xavi was plagued with injury in the first-half of 2013 and consequently missed a number of Liga games as Barcelona regained their domestic title at the expense of Real Madrid.

He finished the season, having made 30 appearances, with a performance score of 2361. This saw him ranked as the third best player in La Liga, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

With 5 goals and eight assists to his name, he provided a dangerous threat in attack for the Catalan club. Throughout the campaign he created 43 chances in total, registering a pass accuracy of 95%.

This season his statistics are strikingly similar. His playmaking ability is the most impressive aspect of the 32-year-old’s game. Having found a team mate from 93% of attempts, he has fashioned 18 key passes, assisting in one of the club’s league goals.

Does he deserve his nomination?

Xavi certainly deserves his nomination. He has been a fantastic servant to Barcelona during his 15 years at the club and it would be fantastic to see him finish his career with at least one Ballon d’Or title to his name.

Despite suffering from injuries during the previous season, he still finished the campaign as the highest performing midfielder in Spain. At the age of 32 he is still a world class player, and Barcelona are a really benefiting from this.

Does he have a chance of winning?

It’s hard to look past Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Frank Ribery in terms of this year’s Ballon d’Or.

The 33-year-old will not be expecting the award, however if anyone else deserves to win, Xavi would be one of the highest names on the list.