BARCELONA have announced the appointment of Xavi as their new manager.
The club’s former midfielder replaces Ronald Koeman, who was sacked in October.
Qatari club Al Sadd, who were Xavi’s last employers, had said goodbye to their manager on Friday, but Barcelona waited several hours to confirm the return of their legend on a two-and-a-half year deal.
“Barcelona have reached an agreement with Xavi Hernández for him to become first team coach for the rest of the current season and two more seasons,” the Spanish giants announced on their official channels in the early hours of Saturday.
“Xavi Hernández, a youth team product at Barça, has left his current club, Al-Sadd of Qatar, after talks held over the last few days with the owners of the club.”
Xavi is expected in Barcelona this weekend while he will be formally presented to the club’s fans and media on Monday at Camp Nou.
Xavi, 41, played 767 games for Barcelona from 1998 to 2015, winning 25 trophies, including eight LaLiga and four UEFA Champions League titles.
Only Lionel Messi with 778 appearances has played more times for Barcelona than Xavi.
The legendary midfielder and 2010 World Cup winner with Spain ended his playing career at Al Sadd in 2019 before becoming their head coach.
He led the club to the Qatari top flight title in 2021, one of the seven trophies he won for them as head coach.
