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10:51 p.m., April 24, 2024
FC Barcelona coach, Xavi Hernandez, will finally remain on the bench of his club FC Barcelona. After announcing at the end of January that he would leave his post at the end of the season, the Catalan technician agreed to honor his contract, after a day of meetings with his president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco.
After announcing at the end of January that he would leave his post at the end of the season, FC Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez will finally remain on the bench of his long-time club, Barça confirmed to AFP on Wednesday. As the Spanish media affirmed in recent hours, the Catalan technician, who had extended until 2025 last fall, agreed to honor his contract, at the end of a day of meetings with his president Joan Laporta and sports director Deco.
The former midfielder had however announced that he would leave Barça “on June 30”, following a series of poor results in January punctuated by a humiliation at home against Villarreal (5-3), believing while “his dream” of coaching his training club had become a “cruel and unpleasant” experience. In the days following this announcement, President Joan Laporta expressed his wish to see the emblematic former captain of the Blaugranas change his mind, while Barça still remains in the red financially, appearing incapable of affording a new international caliber coach.
Savior of Barcelona
Once mentioned, one of the only realistic avenues leading to ex-Mexican defender Rafael Marquez, currently at the head of the B team, did not convince the management, and rumors Hansi Flick or Roberto De Zerbi are quickly calmed down. This turnaround comes paradoxically after a dark week for Barça, eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain (4-1) on Tuesday and beaten at the Santiago Bernabéu in the Clasico against Real Madrid (3-2). ).
Eleven points behind his great rival, the Spanish champion is heading towards a blank season, even though he had regained hope after hitting rock bottom during the winter. But he will be able to continue “his reconstruction”, thanks in particular to the emergence of the nuggets from the training center launched by Xavi: Lamine Yamal, 16 years old, Pau Cubarsi, 17 years old, and Fermin Lopez, 20 years old. Xavi Hernandez initially came to the aid of his favorite club in 2021, at one of the most difficult times in Barcelona’s history, in a catastrophic economic and sporting situation after the departure of Lionel Messi. In his first season, he managed to turn things around by winning the La Liga title and the Spanish Super Cup.