Xavi

"Xavier Hernández" redirects here. For the former Major League Baseball player, see Xavier Hernandez (baseball). For other uses, see Xavi (disambiguation).

Xavi

Xavi playing for Spain at Euro 2012
Personal information
Full nameXavier Hernández i Creus[1]
Date of birth25 January 1980
Place of birthTerrassa, Spain
Height1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[2]
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current team
Barcelona
Number6
Youth career
1991–1997Barcelona
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1997–2000Barcelona B61(3)
1998–Barcelona501(58)
National team
1997Spain U1710(2)
1997–1998Spain U1810(0)
1999Spain U206(2)
1998–2001Spain U2125(7)
2000Spain U236(2)
2000–2014Spain133(12)
1998–Catalonia11(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19:50, 28 April 2015 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
This is a Catalan name. The first family name is Hernández and the second is Creus.

Xavier "Xavi" Hernández i Creus (Catalan: [ˈ(t)ʃaβi ərˈnandəz i ˈkɾɛws] Spanish: [ˈtʃaβj erˈnandeθ i ˈkɾeus]; born 25 January 1980) is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona as a central midfielder.

Xavi came through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at the age of 11. He made his first-team debut against RCD Mallorca on 18 August 1998. Since then he has played 700 matches, scored 82 goals and made more than 180 assists for over 50 players. Xavi is the first player in FC Barcelona's history to play 150 international matches.[3] Highly regarded for his humble persona and team ethos, Xavi is viewed as being the embodiment of the tiki-taka passing style of play, and is considered to be one of the greatest central midfielders of all time.[4][5][6][7]

Xavi won the U-20 World Cup for Spain in 1999, and the Olympic Silver Medal at the 2000 Olympics. Since making his senior team debut in 2000, he has been capped 130 times for the Spanish national team, and has been seen as an influential figure in the team's tremendous success. He played an integral role in Spain's victory at the 2010 World Cup, as well as their successes at both Euro 2008 and Euro 2012. He had a 91% passing success rate at the 2010 World Cup and was named in the World Cup All-star Team.[6] He was named Player of the Tournament by UEFA at Euro 2008.[8] He was also named in the UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament in 2008 as well as 2012. Playing for Barcelona, Xavi won the Man of the Match award in the 2009 UEFA Champions League Final.

Xavi has won more trophies (25) than any other Spanish player in history.[9][10] He won the World Soccer Player of the Year award in 2010. Xavi has received five Ballon d'Or nominations, and finished in third place in 2009, 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he was runner up to Messi for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. He has been awarded the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award for 4 years: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011. Xavi has been included in the UEFA Team of the Year for 5 years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), and has been voted into the FIFA World XI on 6 occasions: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. At Euro 2012, with his 2 assists in the Final, Xavi became the first player to register assists in 2 separate Euro finals, having set up the lone goal in the Final 4 years earlier.[11] He was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in 2012. After the 2014 World Cup, Xavi announced his retirement from international football.[12]

Early life

"I've been lucky enough to be brought up on the Barcelona ethos. Which has taught me the value of being part of a team. 'Today for you, tomorrow for me.' Those qualities are essential for life in general."

—Xavi on learning the team ethos of Barcelona while at the club's youth system, La Masia.[13]

Born in Terrassa, Barcelona, Catalonia,[2] Xavi is a product of Barcelona's La Masia youth system and has been a regular at Camp Nou since the age of 11. His father, Joaquim, was a former player for Sabadell in the first division.[14] Xavi made his way through the youth and reserve teams and was a key member of Josep Maria Gonzalvo's FC Barcelona B team that won promotion to the Second Division.

As a child, Xavi watched a lot of English football, and held midfielders John Barnes, Paul Gascoigne and Matt Le Tissier in high regard.[15]

Club career

1998–2001

His progression through the teams earned him a first-team substitute appearance in a friendly match against Southampton on 12 May 1998[16] and he made his competitive debut on 18 August 1998 in the Super Cup final, in which he scored against RCD Mallorca. His début in La Liga came against Valencia CF on 3 October 1998 in a 3–1 victory for Barcelona. Initially featuring intermittently both for the reserve and senior teams, Xavi scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Real Valladolid when Barcelona were 10th in the league. Sustained impressive performance meant that he became a key member of Louis van Gaal's title-winning team. Xavi finished his debut season with 26 matches played and winning the Spanish League. He also was named 1999 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year. Xavi became Barcelona's principal playmaker after an injury to Pep Guardiola in the 1999–2000 season.

2001–2003

In these years FC Barcelona was on the verge of bankruptcy and struggling to keep its place in La Liga's elite. Playing in the midfield, but with more defensive role, Xavi made 20 assists and scored 7 goals in those two seasons. On 16 March 2002, Xavi scored his first goal in El Clásico.

2004–2008

Xavi was named the vice-captain in the 2004–05 season, in which he helped Barcelona win La Liga and the Spanish Supercup.[17] He was named La Liga Spanish Player of the Year in 2005.[17]

In the 2005–06 season, Xavi tore the ligaments in his left knee in training; he was out of action for four months, missing a part of the season, but returned in April and was on the substitutes bench for Barcelona's win in the 2006 UEFA Champions League Final. He also won La Liga and the Spanish Supercup again.[17]

2008–09 season

"Xavi is a player who has the Barcelona DNA: someone who has the taste for good football, someone who is humble and someone who has loyalty to this club. From the first moment I saw him play, I knew he would become the brain behind Barcelona for many years to come."

—Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, September 2008.[18]

After being named Player of the Tournament at Euro 2008, Xavi spoke to Bayern Munich about a transfer, but newly appointed Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola convinced him that he was too important to the club to be allowed to leave.[19]

He was a main part of Barcelona's treble and scored the fourth goal in the 4–1 win in the 2009 Copa del Rey Final final against Athletic Bilbao, with a free kick. In La Liga, among many games, one of the most significant is the 6–2 El Clásico victory vs Real Madrid on 2 May. He assisted 4 out of 6 goals (once to Puyol, once to Henry and twice to Messi). Xavi helped Barcelona win the 2009 Champions League Final versus Manchester United, which ended 2–0, assisting the second goal by crossing to Lionel Messi for his header.[20] Prior to the match, Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson heaped praise on the much lauded central midfield combination of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta, stating; "I don't think Xavi and Iniesta have ever given the ball away in their lives. They get you on that carousel and they can leave you dizzy."[21] Xavi was voted "UEFA Champions League best midfielder" for his contribution during Barcelona's victorious 2008–09 UEFA Champions League campaign.[22] Xavi was La Liga's highest assisting player with 20 assists.[23] He was also the highest assisting player in the Champions League with 7 assists. Xavi earned 29 assists overall that season.

Xavi is under contract to Barça until 2014 after extending his contract during the 2008–09 season.[24] The new contract made him one of the club's biggest earners, with a salary of €7.5 million a year.[24]

2009–10 season

Xavi takes a corner during the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup Final

During the 2009–10 season, journalists increasingly noted Xavi's contribution to the Barcelona team. For example:

"Quite simply the best midfielder of modern football. It could even be argued that Xavi and Matthäus are the two best in this position in history. World class for several years now, it is the past three seasons in particular where the 30-year-old has been untouchable. Xavi’s passing is up there with Michel Platini, he creates countless goals with genius through balls while virtually never relinquishing possession."[25]

In the 2009–10 season, Xavi again topped the assists table and provided both the assists in Barcelona's 2–0 victory against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was acclaimed the 2nd best player of Barcelona in a season-long voting as Barcelona won the league title with a record 99 points.[26] On 3 June 2010, the Madrid-based newspaper Marca awarded Xavi third place in the annual Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano award for the best player in La Liga, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.[27]

2010–11 season

"Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo"

—Xavi speaking in 2011 about tiki-taka style of play introduced to the club by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.[28]

On 9 June 2010, Xavi signed a new 4-year contract with the club, which may be automatically renewed up to 30 June 2016 based on number of games played.[29] On 29 November he scored his third goal against arch-rivals Real Madrid in a 5–0 home win. On 18 December he scored another goal against RCD Espanyol in a 1–5 win. In the Champions League, Xavi scored a valuable goal against English side Arsenal during a home match in the UEFA Champions League that saw Barcelona passing through to the quarter-finals with an assist by teammate David Villa.[30]

He was one of the three finalists for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or, alongside Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta. He finished third on the vote behind Messi and Iniesta.[31][32] He narrowly defeated Messi to win Player of the Year designation from World Soccer Magazine.[33]

On 2 January 2011, in a league match against Levante UD, Xavi made his 549th appearance for the club in all competitions, matching the record held by Migueli. Following this match Xavi is the player with most appearances with Barcelona of all time.[34] On 28 May, Xavi was imperious in the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley Stadium in London as Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the showpiece for the second time in three seasons, winning 3-1.[17]

2011–12 season

Xavi playing for Barcelona in 2012

Xavi began the 2011–12 season in fine goalscoring form and seemed to grow in his influence of the team despite the long anticipated return of Cesc Fàbregas and the promotion of Thiago Alcântara to create added competition for places in Barça's attacking midfield positions.

On 18 December, in the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup Final in Yokohama, Japan, Barcelona won 4-0 against Santos as Xavi scored a goal and made an assist to Lionel Messi.[35] After the ball was slightly behind him, Xavi brought the ball down with a cocked leg, effectively using his ankle to control it, before slipping a pass through to Messi, who scored the first goal.[35]

Xavi scored the winning goal in the Group H game against Milan, a vital match for Barcelona's progression in the UEFA Champions League. In total, Xavi gave the best goalscoring return of his career in 2011/12 season with ten Liga goals, two in the Copa del Rey – which Barcelona won – and one in the FIFA Club World Cup final success.[17]

2012–13 season

On 18 December 2012, it was announced that Barcelona renewed the contract of Xavi, extending it until 30 June 2016.[36] Xavi scored a goal vs Real Madrid in the match that Barcelona won 3–2. Xavi was named into the FIFA World XI, along with teammates Dani Alves, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi.[37]

2013–14 season

On 16 January 2014, Xavi made his 700th appearance for the first team against Getafe CF in the Copa del Rey.[38]

2014–15 season

In June 2014, it was announced that Xavi would be leaving the club.[39][40][41] However, on 22 July, after talks with newly appointed manager and former teammate Luis Enrique, Xavi decided to stay at Camp Nou for one more season.[42] He was also appointed as club captain. On 25 April 2015, Xavi made his 500th La Liga appearance and became the 8th player in the history to do so.[43]

International career

He played for the nation at the 2000 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2010 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2012, 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup and the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

UEFA Euro 2008

Xavi playing for Spain at Euro 2008 where he was named player of the tournament.
Xavi playing for Catalonia in 2009.

Xavi was named Euro 2008's player of the tournament after Spain defeated Germany 1–0 in the final.[44] Xavi was dominant in midfield where his metronomic passing and reading of the game was pivotal to Spain's success, in addition to making tackles, shaping attacks and driving Spain to their first silverware since the 1964 European Championships.[44]

"We have chosen Xavi because he epitomizes the Spanish style of play. He was influential in the whole possession, passing and penetrating kind of game that Spain played," said Andy Roxburgh, head of UEFA's technical committee.

Xavi scored the first goal of Spain in the semi-final against Russia.

Xavi made a pass, rolled towards the German area, from which Fernando Torres scored the final winning goal.[45]

2010 World Cup

Xavi was named in Spain's squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, with Spain eventually winning their first World Cup.[46]

He provided the most number of accurate passes, 599 with a passing success rate of 91%, and he crossed the ball inside the 18-yard box more than any other player performing in the tournament.[6] For example, in the final he made 57 accurate forward half passes.[47]

Xavi also covered a lot of distance on the pitch – 80.20 kilometres throughout the competitions, which average at approximately 11.5 kilometres per game.[48] In the final he covered a distance of almost 15 kilometres.[49]

After a backheel pass from Xavi in the 63rd minute, David Villa had his shot with his left foot blocked by Eduardo, but then he put in the rebound with his right foot for the winning goal.[50]

Xavi crossed a corner out to the edge of the six-yard box, where Puyol made a header into the top-right corner.[51]

UEFA Euro 2012

Xavi (left) is tackled by Italy's Riccardo Montolivo in the Euro 2012 Final
Xavi and Spain captain Iker Casillas with the Euro 2012 trophy

"Pum, pum, pum, pum" – Xavi describes the rhythmic sound of the ball constantly moving between himself and midfield partner Andrés Iniesta.[52]

Xavi made most passes attempted in a European Championship match: 136 (127 completed, 94% success rate). Previous record for most passes attempted had been set by Ronald Koeman at 117 in Euro 1992 match between Holland and Denmark. Xavi and Iniesta made 229 passes in this match, more than the combined Irish 11 managed.

Xavi played for Spain at Euro 2012, which Spain won by defeating Italy in the final. With Xavi providing two assists in the final, one for Jordi Alba, and another one, like 4 years ago, for Fernando Torres, he became the first player to register assists in two European Championship finals.[11] With his victory in UEFA Euro 2012, Xavi became the most successful player in Spanish football history, a feat that he previously shared with Carles Puyol, who missed the entire tournament.[11]

Retirement

On 5 August 2014, following the 2014 FIFA World Cup where Spain were eliminated at the group stage, Xavi announced his retirement from international football having made 133 appearances for the national side in a 14-year period.[53][54]

Spain's World Cup winning manager Vicente del Bosque paid tribute, stating that Xavi was 'a key part of the team's style of play' and 'he was more important to us than even the manager', and added 'We will miss him both on and off the pitch. He is a player who we hold in great esteem both personally and as a player. He is and always will be a person and a player who is greatly valued by the federation, the coaching staff and by myself.'[55]

Style of play

"I think I haven't changed at all to what I am now. I've been a passer since a young age. I liked passing with the rest of the players and my friends when we played football on the streets, in the main square, and at school. I think I was very similar to what people see in the stadium."

Xavi on his own style of play, November 2014.[15]

The claim that Xavi is one of the best central midfielders of all-time[4][5][6] relies largely on his ability to find and exploit space. As he said: "That's what I do: look for spaces. All day. I'm always looking".[56] Finding space, he would appear for a team-mate to receive and then move the ball on, with his coach Pep Guardiola putting it: ‘I get the ball, I give the ball, I get the ball, I give the ball’.[6]

Xavi's abnormally good vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allow him to dictate the flow of play while rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to completely control some matches has earned him the sobriquet, "The Puppet Master".[57][58] A style introduced to the club by former coach Johan Cruyff, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell believed Xavi, together with Messi, Iniesta and Busquets, perfected the club's tiki-taka style of play.[59]

Media

Xavi has a sponsorship deal with German sportswear and equipment supplier, Adidas, and has appeared in Adidas commercials alongside Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Robin van Persie.[60] Xavi wears Adidas Predator LZ football boots.[61]

In November 2014, Xavi appeared in FIFA's "11 against Ebola" campaign with a selection of top football players from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale and African superstar Didier Drogba.[62] Under the slogan "Together, we can beat Ebola", FIFA's campaign was done in conjunction with the Confederation of African Football and health experts, with the players holding up eleven messages to raise awareness of the disease and ways to combat it.[62][63]

Career statistics

As of match played 28 April 2015.[64]

Club

Club Season League Copa del Rey Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Barcelona B 1997–98 392–––392
1998–99 180–––180
1999–2000 41–––41
Total 613–––613
Barcelona 1998–99 171206[lower-alpha 1]01[lower-alpha 2]1262
1999–2000 2404110[lower-alpha 1]100382
2000–01 202709[lower-alpha 3]0–362
2001–02 3541016[lower-alpha 1]0–524
2002–03 2921014[lower-alpha 4]1–443
2003–04 364607[lower-alpha 4]1–495
2004–05 363108[lower-alpha 1]0–453
2005–06 160004[lower-alpha 1]02[lower-alpha 2]0220
2006–07 353728[lower-alpha 5]04[lower-alpha 6]1546
2007–08 3577112[lower-alpha 1]1–549
2008–09 3565114[lower-alpha 1]3–5410
2009–10 3433212[lower-alpha 7]14[lower-alpha 8]1537
2010–11 3136012[lower-alpha 1]21[lower-alpha 2]0505
2011–12 31107210[lower-alpha 9]13[lower-alpha 10]15114
2012–13 3055011[lower-alpha 1]12[lower-alpha 2]1487
2013–14 3035010[lower-alpha 1]12[lower-alpha 2]0474
2014–15 261207[lower-alpha 1]0–351
Total 501586991701319575884
Career totals 562616991701319581987
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Appearances in Supercopa de España
  3. ↑ Five appearances in UEFA Champions League, Four appearances in UEFA Cup
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 All appearances in UEFA Cup
  5. ↑ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, 7 appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ↑ Two appearances and one goal in Supercopa de España, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  7. ↑ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, 11 appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League
  8. ↑ Two appearances and one goal in Supercopa de España, two appearances in FIFA Club World Cup
  9. ↑ One appearance in UEFA Super Cup, 9 appearances and 1 goal in UEFA Champions League
  10. ↑ Two appearances in Supercopa de España, one appearance and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup

International

As of 13 June 2014.[65]
National team Season Apps Goals
Spain 2000–01 10
2001–02 50
2002–03 80
2003–04 50
2004–05 81
2005–06 130
2006–07 72
2007–08 164
2008–09 141
2009–10 170
2010–11 71
2011–12 141
2012–13 111
2013–14 71
Total 133 12

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 26 March 2005 El Helmántico, Salamanca, Spain  China PR 2–0 3–0 Friendly
2 6 September 2006 Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland  Northern Ireland 0–1 3–2 Euro 2008 qualifying
3 11 October 2006 Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain  Argentina 1–0 2–1 Friendly
4 12 September 2007 Carlos Tartiere, Oviedo, Spain  Latvia 1–0 2–0 Euro 2008 qualifying
5 21 November 2007 Gran Canaria, Las Palmas, Spain  Northern Ireland 1–0 1–0 Euro 2008 qualifying
6 4 June 2008 El Sardinero, Santander, Spain  United States 1–0 1–0 Friendly
7 26 June 2008 Ernst Happel, Vienna, Austria  Russia 0–1 0–3 UEFA Euro 2008
8 20 August 2008 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark  Denmark 0–2 0–3 Friendly
9 29 March 2011 Darius and Girėnas, Kaunas, Lithuania  Lithuania 0–1 1–3 Euro 2012 qualifying
10 6 September 2011 Las Gaunas, Logroño, Spain  Liechtenstein 3–0 6–0 Euro 2012 qualifying
11 7 September 2012 Pasarón, Pontevedra, Spain  Saudi Arabia 3–0 5–0 Friendly
12 11 October 2013 Iberostar Stadium, Palma, Spain  Belarus 1–0 2–1 2014 World Cup qualification

Honours

Barcelona

Spain

Individual

Decorations


^1 1 Members of the Spain national football team who won the 2010 FIFA World Cup were jointly awarded
^2 2 Jointly awarded with Iker Casillas

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). 4 June 2010. p. 29. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Xavi - Xavier Hernández Creus". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  3. ↑ "Xavi, 150 international games with Barça". FC Barcelona. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Is Barcelona star Xavi the best centre midfielder of all time?". Goal.com. 2010-11-30. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "CL Special: Xavi - The Best Centre Midfielder In The World, The Symbol Of Pure Football". Goal.com. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Xavi confirmed his place as Spain's best ever player before retiring... His style defined the country's golden generation". Daily Mail. Retrieved 7 August 2014
  7. ↑ "Xavi Bio, Stats, News - Football". ESPN. 1980-01-25. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  8. ↑ "Xavi emerges as EURO's top man". UEFA. 30 June 2008. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  9. ↑ "Xavi – a record title winner". FC Barcelona. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  10. ↑ "Overview: Xavi (25) becomes the Spanish player with most official trophies ever". News-football.net. 2013-08-30. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 "Casillas, Torres & Xavi amongst record-breakers for Spain". Goal.com. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  12. ↑ "Spain midfielder Xavi announces his retirement from international football".
  13. ↑ "Barcelona: Football's Greatest" (2013). Pitch International LLP.
  14. ↑ Jordi Quixano, El País (4 June 2012). "Euro 2012: Spain – the secrets behind the players". London: theguardian.com. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Barcelona playmaker Xavi on Gascoigne, Barnes and Le Tissier". BBC Sport. 14 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  16. ↑ "barça,partidos 1997/98". Webdelcule.com. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 "Xavi Hernández". UEFA.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  18. ↑ "Xavi Profile". ESPN. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  19. ↑ Kent, David (16 January 2014). "Pep talked me OUT of joining Bayern, says Barcelona midfield star Xavi". Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Barcelona 2-0 Man Utd". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  21. ↑ "The men who make Barca beautiful". BBC. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  22. ↑ "UEFA Club Football Awards". UEFA.com. 2011-05-01. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  23. ↑ "Spanish La Liga Assists Leaders - 2008-09". Espn Fc. 2009-05-31. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Xavi extends Barcelona contract". RTE. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  25. ↑ Garganese, Carlo (April 19, 2010). "Inter-Barcelona All Time Greatest XI". Goal. Retrieved 19 April 2010
  26. ↑ "Barcelona players hailed for La Liga title win but Pep Guardiola feels hard done by". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  27. ↑ "Barcelona Star Lionel Messi Wins The Trofeo Alfredo Di Stefano". Goal.com. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  28. ↑ Lowe, Sid (11 February 2011). "I'm a romantic, says Xavi, heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 June 2014. Xavi Hernández: "Our model was imposed by [Johan] Cruyff; it's an Ajax model. It's all about rondos [piggy in the middle]. Rondo, rondo, rondo."
  29. ↑ "Xavi extends deal until 2016". FC Barcelona. 9 June 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  30. ↑ "Barcelona 3 - 1 Arsenal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 May 2014
  31. ↑ "Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta shortlisted for Ballon d'Or". The Guardian (London). 6 December 2010. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
  32. ↑
  33. ↑ "World Soccer Awards". Rsssf. Retrieved 25 May 2014
  34. ↑ "Xavi: "I feel privileged"". FC Barcelona. 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Barcelona v Santos: Fifa Club World Cup final live". The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  36. ↑ "Barça has renewed the contracts of Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernández and Leo Messi". FC Barcelona Official Website. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  37. ↑ "FIFA/FIFPro World XI 2012". FIfA.com. Retrieved 25 May 2014
  38. ↑ "Xavi Hernández features in his 700th official match for FC Barcelona". FC Barcelona Official Website. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  39. ↑ "Alves confirms Xavi departure". Sportal.com.au. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "Alves: It’s true, Xavi is leaving Barça". Inside Spanish Football. 25 June 2014. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  41. ↑ "Xavi confirms Camp Nou exit". Marca.com » English. 6 June 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Barcelona convince Xavi to stay". Goal.com. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
  43. ↑ "Xavi makes 500th Liga appearance". FCBarcelona.com. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 "Xavi on Spain's victory for the little guy". UEFA.com. Retrieved 17 May 2014
  45. ↑ "Germany 0-1 Spain.". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2014
  46. ↑ "Netherlands 0-1 Spain". BBC. Retrieved 29 May 2014
  47. ↑ "Accurate Forward Half Passes in World Cup Final 2010". FIFA. 23 August 2010. Retrieved 7 January 2011.
  48. ↑ "Distance". FIFA. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  49. ↑ "Players Heat Map" (PDF). FIFA. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  50. ↑ "Spain – Portugal". FIFA. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  51. ↑ "Germany – Spain". FIFA. 28 August 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  52. ↑ Hayward, Paul (9 July 2012). "Spain's dynamic duo of Xavi and Andres Iniesta have broken the mould proving size doesn't matter". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  53. ↑ Hayward, Ben (5 August 2014). "Xavi retires from international football". Goal.com. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  54. ↑ "Xavi Hernandez: Barcelona legend quits Spain duty". BBC Sport. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  55. ↑ Upal, Sunni (6 August 2014). "Xavi is even more important to Spain's success than me, says Vicente del Bosque". Daily Mail. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  56. ↑ Lowe, Sid (10 February 2011). "I'm a romantic, says Xavi, heartbeat of Barcelona and Spain". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 14 December 2011.
  57. ↑ "Lionel Messi Wins Ballon D’Or For Second Time".
  58. ↑ "Left Back In The Changing Room: From Cabbage to Parakeet". Leftbackinthechangingroom.blogspot.com. 2011-04-26. Retrieved 2014-01-19.
  59. ↑ "Rosell unsure over tiki-taka future". Soccerway (Global Sports Media). 10 January 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2014.
  60. ↑ "adidas launch long version 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ advert". Adidas.com. Retrieved 4 March 2015
  61. ↑ "How Beckham. Van Persie, Xavi and Nani created adidas' new Predator Lethal Zones". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 September 2014
  62. ↑ 62.0 62.1 "Top players, FIFA, CAF and health experts unite against Ebola". FIFA.com. Retrieved 4 March 2015
  63. ↑ "Neymar, Piqué and Xavi in FIFA campaign against Ebola". FCBarcelona.com. Retrieved 4 March 2015
  64. ↑ "Official site statistics". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 15 June 2010.
  65. ↑ "Xavi matches and goals (SEFutbol.com)". http://www.sefutbol.com/. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  66. ↑ "Spaniards dominate Dream Team". fifa.com. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  67. ↑ "Real Orden del Mérito Deportivo 2010" (in Spanish). Csd.gob.es. Retrieved 2014-01-19.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Xavi Hernández.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Carles Puyol		 FC Barcelona captain
2014–present 		Incumbent