Xavi Hernández's 767 appearances
The midfield maestro who defined an era at Barcelona and Spain.
Xavier Hernández Creus (born 25 January 1980), commonly known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of the Netherlands national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Xavi was renowned for his exceptional passing and vision. He is the all-time Spanish top assist provider in the UEFA Champions League with 30 assists. He spent most of his playing career at Barcelona and is one of the few players to make over 1,000 professional career appearances.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Central Midfielder
- Club tenure
- 1998–2015
- Major honours with club
- 8 La Liga titles, 4 UEFA Champions League titles
- Status
- Retired (Legend)
- Legacy
- Architect of the Tiki-Taka Era
Lore & Background
Xavi joined La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, at age 11 and made his first-team debut against Mallorca in August 1998, age 18. For Barcelona, he played 767 official matches, a former club record—now held by Lionel Messi—and scored 85 goals. With the initial management guidance by Pep Guardiola and using the tiki-taka football philosophy, Xavi was part of a widely lauded midfield combination trio with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets; from 2008 to 2015 the trio together were instrumental in Barcelona's exceptional on-field successes in 7 seasons, winning five La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey titles and three Champions League titles, including two continental trebles (all three titles simultaneously) in 2008–09 and 2014–15.
Xavi was the first player in the club's history to play 150 European and FIFA Club World Cup matches combined. In 2015, he left Barcelona for Al Sadd, where he won six trophies before retiring in 2019.
Reader's Guide
After retirement, Xavi transitioned to management. In May 2019, he became manager of Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd, where he won seven trophies in less than three years. In November 2021, Xavi was appointed as manager at his former club Barcelona. He won the 2023 Supercopa de España title and the 2022–23 La Liga title in his first full season as the club's manager.
Did You Know?
- Xavi was awarded the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker award four consecutive times from 2008 to 2011.
- He was named Player of the Tournament at UEFA Euro 2008.
More in Honours & Records
Elsewhere in FC Barcelona
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