Barcelona confirm Xavi’s stay. Stability is key, says President Laporta

The media reported yesterday that Xavi will eventually continue on the Barcelona bench, the Catalan club called a press conference early this afternoon and confirmed everything during it. A lot of reasons made the former midfielder change his attitude.

Xavi has a contract until June 2025 and during January he decided to leave the club after the season. In this way, he responded to frequent criticism and several coaches such as Rafael Márquez, Thiago Motta, Míchel, Hansi Flick or Roberto De Zerbi were discussed in connection with the new coach, but none of them will sit on the bench.

“I am pleased to announce that Xavi will continue as Barcelona’s first team coach. He has made several statements that he was considering leaving, but yesterday he told me of his decision to change his stance. He wants to keep winning and will be even more ambitious.” President Joan Laporta announced at today’s press conference.

“We will make some changes that should lead to better results. The key element for success is stability and in our case it is doubly so. Xavi is an integral part of Barcelona and we think the same way, when analyzing matches he always thinks of what is best for Barcelona . Xavi continues and that’s great news for Barcelona. Today I’m very happy, this decision is unanimously supported by the whole management.” he added.

44-year-old Xavi is a Barcelona native and has made a total of 767 starts for the first team, scoring 85 goals. He has eight Spanish titles in his collection, triumphed in the Champions League four times and ended his career in 2019 after a four-year stint with the Qatari club Al Sadd, where he subsequently worked as a coach.

“You all know that I’m a big fan of Barcelona and I always try to do what’s best for the club. The most important thing will be unity, everyone has to contribute. We’re going well, we’ve come up with a winning project and I’ve seen the fans want me to continue . I don’t lack determination, just like the ability, and the same applies to my team. In January, I thought it would be best for the club, now I see it completely differently.” Xavi said to change his attitude.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, in any case, the circumstances changed and we talked about everything yesterday. My work is not finished, I believe in the project and with all this enthusiasm we can prove it. In addition, the players also believe in everything, which is also why I changed my mind. To be continued I was driven by a cocktail of reasons, especially the trust from the president, sporting director Dec and the players. It’s not about money or ego, I see determination in everyone at the club.” he continued.

Barcelona blew a one-goal lead last week, lost to PSG 1-4 at home and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. In addition, they fell in the Spanish top flight against Real Madrid and will probably end the season without a trophy.

“I respect the agreements and the club and I have a very good relationship with the president and Dec. We will always look for the way that is best for Barcelona, ​​but I have not set any conditions.” he finished.