Return of Xavi: The ex-Barcelona midfielder returns to the club as the new manager of the Blaugrana

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Xavi returns to Barcelona as manager after the club announced he will replace Ronald Koeman at the helm.

He is under contract at Camp Nou until June 2024 and is set to manage his first game for the club after the international break.

This was the third time the Barcelona board had tried to convince Xavi to manage the club, and it was third time lucky. The ex-Barcelona midfielder previously claimed he was not ready to take the job and only accepted it once his previous club Al Sadd were happy enough with the deal.

A five-million release clause was paid to get Xavi back home, something his former teammate Andres Iniesta predicted at his farewell.

“Those of us who know you know you’ll be back.”

Xavi spent two and a half years managing Al Sadd and did a very respectable job at the Qatari side.

He won a total of seven trophies during his time at the club, including a domestic treble in the 2020/21 season. Al Sadd won the Qatar Stars League for the 15th time alongside winning the Qatar Cup and the Emir of Qatar Cup.

The Spaniard took his team to the semi-finals of the AFC Champions League in 2019, where they lost 6-5 on aggregate to eventual champions Al-Hilal. He could only reach the round of 16 the following year after a shock defeat to Iranian side Persepolis, who finished as runners-up that year.

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He leaves Al Sadd who are currently unbeaten in their last 36 league games. Former Arsenal, Villarreal and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla explained Xavi’s preferred style of football.

“His ideas are very clear, always have been. He wants the ball for us, and the opponents not to even touch it.”

This is very similar to the footballing philosophies of previous Barcelona managers Pep Guardiola and Johan Cruyff, two of the most successful coaches in the club’s history.

Although it was a predictable move that Xavi would return to the club in this role, his style of play and resemblance to Barca’s glory days make it feel like destiny that he has the opportunity to take the club back to the top from where they currently are.

Xavi’s first game in charge of Barcelona will be against Espanyol in the league before facing Benfica in the Champions League three days later.

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