Xavi Hernandez to Leave Barcelona: A Look At the Superstar's Legacy with Barcelona
An era has ended in Barcelona.
According to numerous sources, Xavi Hernandez is set to leave the club at the end of the season.
It is true that the Spaniard's impact on the team has diminished over the years. He has played in just 30 Spanish League tilts for Barcelona (just 1,693 minutes), 18 of them as a starter, the lowest number he has had for the team in ages. In 2013-14, he started 26 games for Blaugrana and racked up 2,270 minutes; that was the most he had played for the team since putting up 2,478 minutes at the peak of his tenure in 2010-11.
His exact, however, implies so much more.
Lionel Messi is certainly the face of Barcelona's golden age and Andres Iniesta has put his stamp on the cycle as well. But no one is going to overlook Xavi's presence on the side in its era of dominance.
He was the pass master, the field general who assembled the troops. He took control of the pace of the game with his impeccable passing. He was more than just a player; he was also a coach, helping to organize his side when things were not at their best. He could create, he could score. He could do it all.
His exit does emphasize the fact that Barcelona is no longer the same team with the same mindset. Instead of the patience of tiki taka that endured throughout Xavi's finest seasons, the team is employing a more direct and aggressive approach to attacking that looks to smother opposition into oblivion with its slew of talented attackers.
Xavi was simply not cutting it anymore at 35, his stamina in steep decline and his game-changing abilities dropping with it.
So what did Xavi achieve as a member of Barcelona?
He won the Spanish League title a whopping eight times. He has won the Copa del Rey twice and could yet add a third if his team wins it later this season.
He also took how the Spanish Super Cup six times throughout his career.
He also won three Champions League trophies in 2006, 2009 and 2011. He was on the bench for the 2006 trophy but was at his peak in the latter two awards. If his team wins this season's UCL, Xavi will likely be on the bench, bookending his history with that trophy.
He has two FIFA Club World Cups to his name as well as two UEFA Super Cups.
As of this writing, he has 505 appearances with the club; he could max out at 508 if he plays in the remaining games this season. In that span he has 58 goals.
What many will remember as his finest game for Barcelona is the 6-2 win at the Santiago Bernabeu. Xavi was in scintillating form, putting together a whopping four assists as the Spanish club completely embarrassed its biggest rival in its own house. There is also the 5-0 win in which Barcelona put together one of its finest showings of all time, with Xavi making it look easy from the middle of the pitch.
All of those memories will remain, but sadly Xavi's time with Blaugrana has seemingly come to an end.