Former Barcelona midfielder and current head coach, who was appointed in November 2021 Xavi, has stated that the duration of his stay as the manager of Barcelona may be hugely determined by the level of success he attains at the club

Xavi, in an interview, revealed that even if the club does not send him away before his contract expires, he might leave the club if the players lose interest and faith in his leadership as a manager.

This is coming days after Barcelona was roundly defeated by Real Madrid 4-1 in this Spanish Super Cup final on Sunday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In his first season at the club, when he joined from Qatar side Al Sadd, Xavi took Barcelona from 9th to second place before helping them win the La Liga in the 2022/2023 season.

However, he revealed that if he had not won the title for the club last season, he would have left his position as the head coach of Barcelona.

“I love this club. I’m here to bring something to it. If I don’t do it, I’ll go home; if I hadn’t won La Liga last year, I wouldn’t be here. The day my players no longer follow me, I’ll pack my bags and leave. When someone tells me there’s a problem, I’ll leave. When the owners signed me from Qatar, they said it was one of the worst moments in the club’s history, and we’re in the process of changing things,” said Xavi.

The Spanish legend won 25 trophies as a footballer with Barcelona during his playing days, but this season, Barcelona has not been able to maintain the level of competitiveness they had last season as they are currently 8 points behind La Liga leader Girona.

However, they have done better on the European scene by qualifying for the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, where they will face Italian side Napoli.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu