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Xavi speaks out for the first time after Barcelona announce coach’s sacking just a month after convincing him to stay.
Xavi Hernandez, the Barcelona legend, has broken his silence since the Catalan club’s decision to dismiss him at the conclusion of the season.
Initially planning to step down at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Xavi had a change of heart due to an improvement in results. However, exactly a month after this announcement, Barcelona has opted to part ways with the 44-year-old manager. Xavi is poised to oversee his final match as Barca’s coach when they face Sevilla on Sunday.
He wrote on Instagram: “Dear fans, my time on the Barça bench will end on Sunday. It’s never easy to leave the club of your life, but I do it very proudly, after two and a half years at the head of a dressing room that has been like a second family.
I want to thank the support and affection of the fans, who have always been by my side and have always shown me the same love as during my time as a footballer. From Sunday I will be one more culer (Barcelona supporter) in the stands, either now at the Olympic Stadium or in a few months at the Nou Camp.
Because before I am a player or a coach, I am a Barcelona fan and I only want the best for the club of my life, which will always have me at its disposal.
“I have worked with a group of fantastic players and with a spectacular staff. Thanks to all of them, we have been achieving the objectives set, culminating last year with a League and a Super Cup.
This season things didn’t go as we wanted, but we put our heads together and helped grow a new generation of young footballers from La Masia who inspire all of us Barcelona fans. Many thanks to all.
To the fans, the players, the staff, the club employees, the President, the Board of Directors, the sports directors, the media and everyone with whom I have shared the journey over these two and a half seasons. I wish the best to the club that I carry in my heart.
“Visca Barça.”
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Earlier in May, Xavi reportedly incurred the displeasure of club president Joan Laporta when he addressed Barcelona’s financial challenges.
Consequently, former Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick is poised to replace the former Spanish midfielder, with a pivotal, phone conversation between Flick and sporting director Deco allegedly sealing the decision.
Having spent 24 years as a player at Barcelona before joining Al Sadd in 2015, Xavi will now explore new managerial, possibly after a hiatus from the sport. This marks the conclusion of his two-and-a-half-year tenure at Barca.