Former Barcelona Xavi Hernandez has announced that he will be retiring from professional football at the end of this season.
He currently plays for Al-Sadd in Qatar, and holds the all-time appearances record at FC Barcelona with 767, and scored 85 goals from 1998 to 2015.
Xavi is among the players who set an example of Barcelona’s beautiful style of play. He joined the club in 1991/1992 where he played for the under-12.
He thrived in Barca and even became one of the best midfielders in the world, helping Barcelona for almost two decades.
Xavi made his debut with the Barça first team under Louis Van Gaal, and was part of the team’s glory years in 1998 to 2015. He made his biggest achievement under Frank Rijkaard and became a superstar under Guardiola.
Xavi became the captain of the team for his final season, after Carles Puyol retired, a position that Messi currently holds.
Xavi won 25 titles at Barça, which includes the famous treble seasons of 2008/09 and 2014/15.
Xavi : 8x La Liga, 3x Copa del Rey, 4x UEFA Champions League, 2x FIFA Club World Cup, 6x Spanish Super Cup, and 2x UEFA Super Cup. Six-time Copa Catalunya and one-time Catalunya Super Cup winner.