Xavi talks Barcelona debut, Messi, Iniesta, Figo, Rijkaard, Guardiola, Enrique: ‘The best ending to a career’ | OneFootball

Barcelona has seen many prodigal midfield talents in its ranks over the years, but Xavi and Iniesta will forever remain the two single biggest names who took the team to greatness.

While the latter retired from professional football only recently, Xavi left Barcelona for a stint in Qatar long before and even took up management to return to Catalonia as a coach.

He won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup during his time as coach but was eventually sacked at the end of last season amid a poor run of results.

Xavi speaks on his legacy

Speaking to France Football Via Florent Torchut in a recent interview, the Barcelona legend reminisced his days as a player in Catalonia and the roller coaster ride it was over the years.

He began by summing up his legacy as a player and what his generation did for the sport as a whole.

“Our generation 2008-2012 changed the history of Spanish football. This team will remain in the memory forever,” said the legendary midfielder.

“For us, Barcelona is not just football, it is more like a religion,” he added.

Xavi speaks on Barcelona beginnings

The former manager began by taking the media outlet through his first steps in Barcelona and how he landed in Catalonia, to begin with.

“When Barcelona called me it was one of the best days of my life,” he reminisced.

“From that moment I became semi-professional and devoted all my time and soul to football. It wasn’t easy being at home because my parents were very strict,” he added.

Xavi made his senior debut for Barcelona under the tutelage of Louis Van Gaal and elaborated on the immense faith the coach had in his abilities, saying:

“Louis Van Gaal believed in me, sometimes more than I believed in myself.”

“I’m a small, light person, not particularly strong or fast, but the ‘Cruyffian’ style of play suited my football skills perfectly,” he added on why he was a good fit in the system.

Staying on the topic of his style of play, the midfield maestro elaborated on what exactly defined him as a player, as he said:

“My football was based on thinking, finding the free spaces on the pitch, identifying the areas where there were fewer opponents to attack. I was always in the right place, at the right time.”

“I have enormous gratitude to all the coaches who kept this philosophy, especially Louis van Gaal, who believed in me and kept repeating to me that I had an incredible talent,” he added.

Xavi’s memories of the early 2000s

Xavi enjoyed a hugely successful career at Barcelona. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Progressing down memory lane, Xavi reached the year 2000 when the single most important event was the departure of Luis Figo to Real Madrid.

“The departure of Luis Figo in 2000 was a huge blow. Imagine if Lionel Messi, at the peak of his powers, had left the club after winning the Ballon d’Or. Figo was our captain, our best player, but he joined our eternal rival.”

He then opened up on his memories working with Frank Rijkaard who took charge of the club in 2003.

“Frank came from the Dutch school and followed a similar approach to Cruyff’s. Little by little, we regained the system that we lost during those difficult years.”

The first turning point for the squad

The Barcelona legend then spoke in depth about how the squad turned a fresh leaf in 2006 and the Champions League victory which only set them up for greater success.

“It was also a turning point on a personal level. We, the players who grew up at the club, were being criticised a lot.”

“They said we didn’t have the mentality to win titles. It was hard to hear that, but after these titles, there were no limits for us,” he added.

Despite that, however, Barcelona’s next two years were trophy-less and the team did not deliver on expectations.

“Two years have passed without us winning anything, and many names have been circulated to succeed the previous coaches: Brazilians, Portuguese,” Xavi recalled.

“I remember that period well. Cruyff was asked who should lead Barcelona, ​​and he replied without hesitation: ‘Guardiola’,” he added.

Giving his thoughts on how he perceived Guardiola’s name as a possible replacement, Xavi said,

“The moment I heard him, I said to myself: ‘With him, we will achieve great things.’ I played alongside him and I know he is a person who is obsessed with perfection, obsessed with our football philosophy.”

On his changed mentality and becoming champions

Xavi then went on to describe how he overcame his fear of having a skinny frame and how he realised he could compete with anyone.

“When I was 24, I felt small and weak. When we played against Steven Gerrard’s Liverpool, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, or Andrea Pirlo’s Milan, I thought: ‘Oh, it’s going to be tough’.”

“But in that season (2009) I realized that I could compete with anyone, and I reached the peak of my career. I had a complete understanding of the game, and perfect fitness, and collectively, we reached perfection. This team will always be remembered,” he added.

Xavi was a key part of a legendary Barcelona team. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

He then took up the name of Lionel Messi and called him out for the greatness he is already synonymous with.

“We had the best generation in the history of Spain, with the greatest player in history, Lionel Messi. I don’t know if we are the best team of all time, but just to be in the top four or five teams in history is a huge privilege.”

The former coach was then asked if he regretted not winning the Ballon d’Or, to which he said,

“I don’t consider myself a better player than Lionel Messi or Cristiano, the Ballon d’Or winners of those years.”

“I was a playmaker, but I didn’t have the ability to win games on my own. I’m proud to have finished on the podium third three times, even if there’s no official award,” he added.

Xavi also took the moment to remember the iconic photo of the Barcelona-dominated Ballon d’Or podium.

“This photo with my friends Andres and Leo is historic, unbelievable,” said Xavi.

“It is a triumph of football philosophy, and a unique recognition of our style and heritage,” he added.

Moving on to his legacy in the national team, Xavi looked back at how special his World Cup win in 2010 was.

“Previously, no Spanish player had ever lifted the World Cup. It was an honour reserved for Italians, Germans, Brazilians, Argentines.”

“But with the generation of 2008-2012, we changed this mentality. In the past, reaching the quarter-finals was an achievement. Today, if we don’t win, we feel like we’ve failed,” he added.

“We changed the history of Spanish football,” he proudly stated.

Speaking on his final years as a Barcelona player, Xavi revealed how he was close to leaving in 2014 but decided against it after being convinced by Luis Enrique.

“In 2014, I was thinking about leaving after losing La Liga at home and having a very difficult World Cup with Spain.”

“I thought it was the right time to leave European football, at the age of 34. But Luis Enrique told me: ‘Stay, you will be the leader and we will win everything’,” he added.

On how the decision turned out to be right, he said: “I had an exceptional year, the best ending to a career any player could dream of.”

“I’m lucky, I’ve exceeded my childhood dreams. Wherever I go in the world, people stop me. They remind me of my time at Barcelona, ​​with the national team, with the World Cup,” he added.

He then reflected on his legacy as a player, something very few in the history of the game have bettered him in.

“I won every possible title, I enjoyed playing Champions League finals, World Cups, Euros, just like I was a kid kicking a ball around the park. This feeling is priceless, it’s an incomparable feeling, it will stay with me until the end.”

Finally, Xavi was asked if he had any regrets, to which he said: “My deep connection to Barcelona sometimes hurt me, maybe I was too emotional.”