What’s the story
Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has expressed his desire to return to the Camp Nou and someday coach Barcelona as well. The veteran midfielder who won everything there is to win in Europe with Barcelona made over 500 league appearances.
He is well renowned in the footballing world and enjoys a status like few others at Barcelona. Despite Luis Enrique saying he will leave in the summer, Xavi is not ready to rush into things so quickly when it comes to management.
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Speaking to Le Parisien he said, “Becoming Barcelona coach is a dream, and I am on the path of making it an actual project. I am working on becoming a coach, I have yet to earn my coaching badges.”
"There are a lot of things to learn when it comes to dealing with a dressing room with 25 players and with a technical and medical staff. But replacing Luis Enrique next season already is not possible. I have yet to pass my exams.”
In case you didn’t know...
Xavi Hernandez holds the record for most appearances in a Barcelona shirt. He has played a total of 767 games for the Catalans ahead of the likes of Leo Messi, Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol.
His former midfield partner Iniesta is second on that list with 612. Messi is about 200 games from beating that record.
The heart of the matter
Barcelona are in need of a replacement for Luis Enrique after his decision to quit at the end of the season. Xavi Hernandez would no doubt be a candidate Barcelona fans would welcome.
But Xavi has stated that he has no intention of jumping into management. He is still going strong at the age of 37 years currently playing for Al Sadd in Qatar. He is likely to retire after one more season of football after which he will have to get his coaching badges done.
The Barcelona president also admitted he would prefer to have one of their own manage the club after Enrique leaves. The opportunity is there but the timing, for now, is not.
What’s next?
Xavi is very clear that right now he is still a player and is not thinking too much about the future. He plans to retire after one more season of professional football. But Barcelona will have to wait until Xavi has gained some sort of experience in coaching as well as getting the right qualifications.
Sportskeeda’s take
When it comes to intelligence, there are few in football who can surpass the Spanish maestro. The only question that will be asked of him if he wants to become a manager will be that of leadership.
Xavi always let the football do the talking but that will no longer be the case when he steps into the boots of a manager.
