On January 27th, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernández announced his plan to leave the club at the end of the season. Following a frustrating 5-3 loss to Villareal at home, Xavi confirmed his exit date as the 30th of June, stating “it’s time for change. As a Culé, I think that it’s time to leave”.
Xavi, whose professional playing career was spent largely at Barcelona as part of the ‘golden generation’, joined Barcelona as manager in November 2021, taking over a ninth-place team from Ronald Koeman. As manager, Xavi oversaw the club to a second-place finish in the 2021/22 season and a triumphant league win in 2022/23 but fell short in the Champions League, exiting the group stage in both seasons. Currently, Barcelona sits in third place in La Liga, eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, and progresses to the round of 16 in the Champions League, facing Napoli in February.
Xavi asserted his decision to leave was a choice made “driven” by his “heart”, denying contract issues and stating that “from a mental-health level, it’s tough too. I am a positive guy, but the battery levels keep running out, and at some point, you realise there’s no point in staying”. He later went as far as to describe the “cruel” nature of the job, stating, “it makes you feel worthless on a daily basis”. The decision comes after months of frustration from many Barcelona fans over the team’s poor run of form, including losses to Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid in the Supercopa final and a league defeat to Girona in December.
Of course, Xavi’s tenure as manager was set against the backdrop of a club plagued by financial issues with very little budget to spend on new players—pressure that will no doubt hinder Xavi’s successors for some years to come. In retrospect, perhaps it will be the case that winning the league title in his first full season will be seen as nothing short of miraculous.
For now, Xavi will stay with the club until the end of the season, stating his aim is “to finish as high as possible” and “on a good note”. Just days after his announcement, Barcelona faced Osasuna in a 1-0 victory thanks to new signing Vitor Roque, who scored within a minute of being subbed on by Xavi.
While most players have not commented publicly on Xavi’s departure, Pedri addressed the situation after the Osasuna win, saying “it’s complicated, but it’s the coach’s decision. Whatever remains, we’re going to give it our all for him because he has helped us a lot”; Gavi, who became a Barcelona regular under Xavi’s tenure, took to social media to say “backing you until the very end, boss”.
There is currently no knowledge of who will replace Xavi at the end of the season, though some fans are excited about Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool at the end of the season. Former Barcelona manager and current PSG coach Luis Enrique stated he had ‘nothing to comment’ on rumours of his return. Meanwhile, it is unknown where, if anywhere, Xavi will continue his managerial career. What remains is Xavi’s extraordinary legacy at Barcelona, not only as a beloved player but as a successful league-winning manager.
“FC Barcelona, FC Barcelona” by coreycam is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.