BARCELONA LEGEND XAVI Hernandez will leave the Catalan club he has served since boyhood for Qatari side Al Sadd at the end of this season, his father has said.
“The moment has come for Xavi to say goodbye,” the 35-year-old midfielder’s father Joaquin Hernandez told radio Cope.
He said the contract with Al Sadd would allow Xavi, presently the team captain, to train as a coach as well as playing.
“He is lucky to have received a really impressive offer that allows him to continue playing football, train as a future coach and also rest a little.”
Xavi is Barcelona’s most decorated player of all time and one of the heroes of Spain’s Euro and World Cup-winning squads.
In March he met with managers of Al Sadd, which announced on social media that he had signed with the club but the Qatari side then said the deal had not yet been sealed.
Xavi will personally announce the move during a press conference on Thursday, Spanish media reported.
His contract with the Spanish league champions runs until next year but the club had already made it clear that it would not stand in the way of his departure.
“Xavi has earned the right to decide his future,” Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu said in March when asked about the reports that the iconic playmaker had agreed to a move to Qatar.
The player will be following in the footsteps of Real Madrid legend Raul who played 39 games for Al Sadd, one of Qatar’s top clubs, between 2012 and 2014, before joining the New York Cosmos in October 2014.
Barcelona sealed the league title on Sunday with a 1-0 win away over 2014 champions Atletico Madrid.
Xavi was filmed weeping with joy after that win. It is his eighth title in the league and his 23rd overall with Barcelona, making him the player with most medals in the club’s history.
If the semi’s are anything to go by, this should make it a cracking final.
It will be an amazing match and a night to remember!
Is this the World Cup final If so it’s been very low key, Come on USA!!
Any chance of your number Hil? You sound exactly like my type
The motivator (Klopp)
vs.
the tactician (heynckes)
The tactician to to win in the end, Bayern 3-1 and muller (as always) first scorer.
Should be a great game, I hope Dortmund can do it!
Gundogen versus Schweiny. In already getting tent pants just thinking about it.
Hillary if you keep going you might get that lovely arm of yours around your neck !!
Only joking.
Dortmund 7-2. I wonder hmmmm
Think bayern will beat them 3-1 that’s my bet for the match
Those were two worthy winners up there, though both sides had aging players and disappeared off the radar after those successes. Great to see them back again.
@ Denis
The Germans shouldn’t get too carried away.
Meaning: Don’t start boasting, try to be modest. And they are fairly modest about it all.
You took this in the wrong way and then went on from there.
…There’s always one trying to rain on the parade.
Who is trying to rain on the parade…..
The Germans shouldn’t get too carried away.
We’ve already had an all-Spanish, Italian and English final.
Real Madrid vs. Valenica, AC Milan vs. Juventus, Man Utd vs. Chelsea.
Barcelona, Man Utd and the other big boys will be back next year…..
Who’s getting carried away? All they said was its great to have an all German final!
They didn’t declare they are the worlds greatest league like so many players and commentators in England do, nor did they mention anything about next year…
There’s always one trying to rain on the parade, just enjoy the spectacle of two very attacking teams trying to dismantle each other!