Primera Division
Barça coach Xavi explains reasons for withdrawing at the end of the season
Has announced his retirement at the end of the season: Xavi Hernández. photo
© Joan Monfort/AP
Coach Xavi is leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season. The news shocked many Catalan fans. The coach explains the reasons for his decision – sometimes in drastic words.
“I think that despite the situation of the team and the club, we can still have a very good season. And I think that all of this will help change the dynamic,” said the 44-year-old. On Saturday evening, after the spectacular 3:5 (0:1) defeat against Villarreal FC, he declared that he wanted to give up his position on June 30th.
The former Spanish national soccer player said he was convinced that the team needed a change of course and that his decision could create the necessary space for this. “I don’t want to be a problem. I want the best for the club. I think it’s good for everyone to ease the situation. I think it’s necessary.”
Time with family
After his departure in the summer, he wanted above all to have more time with his family. “The feeling of being Barça coach is unpleasant, it’s cruel, you often feel like you’re being treated disrespectfully, that your work isn’t valued,” he said.
“It’s a terrible drain on your mental health and your mood. I’m a positive guy, but as the energy gets less and less and less, there comes a point where you say to yourself it doesn’t make sense anymore.” He placed the club higher than himself. “I gave everything I had. And I will continue to do that so that the fans can be proud,” promised the long-time Barça professional.
Xavi returned to Barcelona as a coach in November 2021, having previously coached Al-Sadd in Qatar. He won the championship and the Supercup with the Catalans last year, but the current season is disappointing, especially in the league. In the Primera División, the team around national team captain Ilkay Gündogan is already ten points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid. On Saturday they turned a 2-0 deficit against Villarreal FC into a 3-2 draw and then lost 5-3. Last week the team was also eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup.