Barcelona's Xavi confirms Al Sadd move
ByReuters
Updated 21/05/2015 at 12:41 GMT
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has announced that he is leaving the club he joined as an 11-year-old to sign with Al Sadd.
Barcelona's midfielder Xavi Hernandez poses prior to giving a press conference at the Sports Center FC Barcelona Joan Gamper in Sant Joan Despi, near Barcelona on May 21, 2015. Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez confirmed today that he will end his 17-year p
Image credit: AFP
Now 35 and Barca's appearance record holder and club captain, Xavi is to follow in the footsteps of former Spain team mate Raul, who played for Al Sadd between 2012-14.
"It's a definitive decision, it's not an easy one, it's the right moment to go," Xavi, Barcelona's appearance record holder, told reporters.
"I still feel useful here but a change of scene is necessary, my head tells me so but not my heart," he said, adding that his aim was to return to Barca after completing his coaching qualifications.
"I am a product of the Barca family. I think my contribution has been very good, I have done what they taught me."
Xavi said Barca had offered to extend his current contract by two years to 2018 but he had decided to move on as he no longer commands an automatic place in the first team.
He almost left at the end of last season after Barcelona failed to win a major trophy for the first time in six years but new coach Luis Enrique, a former team mate, persuaded him to stay.
"When you talk about the gala 11 my name is no longer there," he said. "It's not easy to accept but the team has always come first."
After joining the Catalan giants in 1991, Xavi graduated from the club's academy to the first team in 1998.
One of the most decorated footballers of all time, he defined Barca and Spain's spectacularly successful possession-based playing style.
He represented La Roja 133 times, a record for an outfield player, and was a key figure in Spain's glittering run when they won the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships.
With Barca, Xavi has won three Champions League crowns, eight La Liga titles and a host of other trophies but has had limited playing time this season under coach Luis Enrique.
He is set to receive a rousing send-off at the Nou Camp when Barca, who wrapped up their latest La Liga title last weekend, host Deportivo La Coruna for their final match of the campaign on Saturday.
He could still win another two trophies, with Barca through to the Champions League final to play Juventus on June 6, a week after they play Athletic Bilbao in the King's Cup final.
Xavi made his debut for Spain in a friendly against the Netherlands in November 2000.
He played in four World Cups and three European Championships and won 100 of his 133 matches for the Iberian nation, controlling play from a central position, regularly providing assists and also scoring the occasional goal.
His last appearance for Spain was a bitter 5-1 reverse to the Netherlands in their opening Group B match at the World Cup finals in Brazil in June.
Xavi came to define Barca's possession-based playing style and has had a crucial role in the success of the Catalan club and the Spain national team over the past decade.
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