FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi Hernandez to be their first team head coach.
According to a statement released by Barcelona, the contract is for the remainder of the current season and two more subsequent seasons. Xavi had been in contract talks with Barcelona over the past few days following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
Xavi had managed Qatari club Al-Saad since May 2019, where he won two Qatari cups and posted a 66% win percentage across 97 matches. His time at Al-Saad is his only first-team managerial experience.
Barcelona were keen to bring Xavi back to Camp Nou where he spent 17 years as a first team player after coming through their youth ranks. Xavi's tenure as a player at Barcelona represented the absolute height of the club. He won eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, and three Copa del Reys. In 2008-09 and 2014-15, he captured all three titles in the same season, giving him the rare distinction of winning two trebles.

Not only was Xavi's time at Barcelona highly productive, but it was also highly influential to the modern game. The 2008-09 team is considered to be one of the greatest teams in history and it helped usher in an era where sides looked to dominate games through possession and short intricate passing.
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'It Was Meant to Be': FC Barcelona Confirms Xavi as New Head Coach
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FC Barcelona Xavi Hernandez speaks during his farewell event at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, Wednesday, June 3, 2015 - Sputnik International, 1920, 06.11.2021
© AP Photo / Manu Fernandez
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FC Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi Hernandez to be their first team head coach.
According to a statement released by Barcelona, the contract is for the remainder of the current season and two more subsequent seasons. Xavi had been in contract talks with Barcelona over the past few days following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
Xavi had managed Qatari club Al-Saad since May 2019, where he won two Qatari cups and posted a 66% win percentage across 97 matches. His time at Al-Saad is his only first-team managerial experience.
Barcelona were keen to bring Xavi back to Camp Nou where he spent 17 years as a first team player after coming through their youth ranks. Xavi's tenure as a player at Barcelona represented the absolute height of the club. He won eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, and three Copa del Reys. In 2008-09 and 2014-15, he captured all three titles in the same season, giving him the rare distinction of winning two trebles.

Not only was Xavi's time at Barcelona highly productive, but it was also highly influential to the modern game. The 2008-09 team is considered to be one of the greatest teams in history and it helped usher in an era where sides looked to dominate games through possession and short intricate passing.
Xavi was renowned as a player for his technical abilities, passing vision, and intelligence on the field. While Lionel Messi was the superstar that made Barcelona an unstoppable winning machine a decade ago, for many, Xavi represented the stylistic and tactical embodiment of Barcelona football.
It had long been rumored that Barcelona dreamed of Xavi taking over the first team, but it is unlikely they hoped for him to arrive under the current situation. Barcelona have well-documented debt issues that saw them lose Messi in the summer and could see an exodus of talented first-teamers over the summer.

Not only are Barcelona's finances in peril, but the product on the field has also declined precipitously. Barcelona sits 9th in the La Liga table on 16 points. Missing out on the top four, and thus Champions League football and money, could further exacerbate their financial and footballing woes.

Xavi is a club legend at Barcelona but has an intense project ahead of him. He will always be considered one of the greatest and most influential players in the club's history. If he can pull the club out of the mess they currently find themselves in, he could very well go down as the single most important person in the history of Barcelona.

One day, Messi will also return as its first team coach too. Congratulations to Xavi.