Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is returning to the club as manager, it has been confirmed.
The 41-year-old leaves Qatari side Al Sadd, with whom he won a league title as a player in 2019 before adding another as a manager earlier this year.
Al Sadd confirmed on Friday morning that a deal had been reached with Barcelona for Xavi to replace Ronald Koeman, whose spell in charge ended last week.
A statement reads: “The Al-Sadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract. We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future.
“Xavi is an important part of Al-Sadd’s history and we wish him success.”
While Xavi has won a fair amount of silverware since moving to Qatar in 2015, his achievements in the Middle East pale in comparison to the trophy haul he collected as a player with Barcelona.
During a 17-year spell at Camp Nou, Xavi won eight La Liga titles, three Copa Del Rey and four Champions Leagues.
Two of those European successes came under the management of Pep Guardiola, a man whose success Xavi will be looking to emulate in Catalonia.
Xavi memorably dovetailed superbly with midfield partner Andres Iniesta in Guardiola’s fabled side, as the pair epitomised their manager’s tika-taka style.
With Lionel Messi emerging as the world’s greatest player, Xavi and Iniesta were on hand to assist the Argentinian genius, while often coming up with big goals themselves.
The Barcelona Xavi returns to is a whole other world to the one he left as European champion in 2015. With Messi out of the picture and club in financial disarray, Xavi must galvanise a flailing squad that is dotted with some talented youngsters.
Former teammates such as Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets are sure to play important roles in helping Xavi turn the season around, while the goalscoring responsibility once held with ease by Messi now falls on the shoulders of Memphis Depay as well as the 19-year-old Ansu Fati.
Barca are currently ninth in La Liga, having won just four matches out of 11 and are already six points away from a top four place that would seal a Champions League place for next season.
In the current edition of the continent’s premier competition, the club have recovered from losing 3-0 in both of their opening group matches – to Bayern Munich and Benfica – by beating Dynamo Kiev 1-0 home and away.
They now sit second in the group, two points ahead of Benfica, with two matches to play.
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