The Barça legend has returned the Nou Camp
Barcelona have confirmed the return of club legend Xavi to the Nou Camp as their manager on a contract until 2024.
The 41-year-old returns to the club where he spent17 years, making 767 appearances in his time at the Camp Nou and joins after leaving Qatari club, Al-Sadd.
Xavi takes over from Ronald Koeman, who was sacked by the club who currently find themselves ninth in La Liga and uncertain of whether they will make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
In a video on Barça’s social media platforms, Xavi was seen saying to supporters: “It wasn’t goodbye, it was ‘see you soon’. The Camp Nou has always been my home.
“You’re my fans, my people, the club that I love the most. And now, I’m coming home. See you soon, Culers. Força Barça.”
It was meant to be.
Welcome home. pic.twitter.com/gdGdFedk7t— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 6, 2021
The Spaniard will be walking back to a very different Barcelona to the one that he first left back in 2015.
Since his departure, the Blaugrana have been in financial disarray and have resorted to bringing players in on free transfers and looking to the next generation of Pedri and Ansu Fati to take the club back to the top.
So much so, there’s been reports that Barcelona can’t actually afford to pay the release clause in Xavi’s contact, and the Spaniard is paying it himself.
According to the BBC, Xavi will officially be announced on Monday at the Nou Camp to fans and the media.
In his first role as a manager at Al-Sadd, Xavi was able to guide the team he first spent four years at as a player to a league title, with the side currently enjoying a 36-game unbeaten run.
With the 41-year-old not officially joining until Monday, his first game won’t come until after the international break, when they will face city rivals Espanyol at the Camp Nou.
Related links:
- Xavi reportedly set to pay his own release clause to return to Barcelona
- Ronald Koeman reportedly refusing to take £4m cut on his Barcelona pay-off
- Xavi the favourite to replace Ronald Koeman as Barcelona manager
