Xavi Hernandez returns to FC Barcelona as new head coach, signs two-and-a-half year deal

Xavi Hernandez Barcelona journey will begin for the second time but not on the pitch as a player but as a coach after he accepted the offer to manage the Barcelona team. Barcelona, on Saturday, reached an agreement with Xavi Hernández for him to become a first-team coach for the rest of the current season and for the two more seasons. Xavi's appointment as Barcelona Head coach comes after Ronald Koeman was sacked by the club following a string of poor performances.

Xavi Hernandez becomes Barcelona head coach

As per the statement from the club, Xavi Hernandez will not only coach the Barcelona team in the current season but also two more seasons. Xavi will arrive in Barcelona this weekend and will be unveiled as the head of the team in an event open to the public at Camp Nou on Monday, November 8.  

Xavi comes into the Barcelona manager post on the back of some impressive resume with Qatari club Al-Sadd. After leaving Barcelona, the midfielder played out the final years of his career at Al-Sadd in Qatar, after which he became the team coach. As coach of the Qatari team, he won the Qatari Super Cup and also led the team to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League. In total, he coached the team to seven different trophies, three of them in 2021. 

Xavi Hernandez stats

 Xavi made his first-team debut in 1998 and immediately became a regular place in the starting XI. Under Frank Rijkaard from 2003, the 41-year-old started to showcase his talent, and under Pep Guardiola from 2008, he was regarded as one of the greatest players ever to grace the game. After Carles Puyol's retirement, he took over the captaincy role of the club, and eventually departed the club in 2015.

Talking about Xavi Hernandez's statistics, the decorated player who made 767 appearances for the senior team was a record until he was surpassed recently by Leo Messi (778). In his 17 years in the first team (1998 to 2015), he won 25 major trophies which included 8 La Liga trophies, 4 Champions League, 3 Copa Del Ray, 2 Club World Cups, 2 European Super Cups and 6 Spanish Super Cups.