The Xavi era at Barcelona is no more, as after weeks of speculation, the Blaugrana have indeed decided to go back to their original decision and let go of the club legend as their manager.
It’s an unpopular decision in the footballing world, especially since Xavi is such an iconic figure in Catalunya. Despite his flaws, he also did a lot as a manager, bringing the LaLiga title back to Barcelona in 2023.
Barcelona are set to move forward with former treble-winning Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick as Xavi’s replacement, and he will likely be a significant upgrade on the less proven Xavi.
But before all of that, the farewells from Barcelona stars have been ringing in, as Xavi made a key impact on several players, including young stars who will be the foundation of the club for years to come.
Lamine Yamal broke out in the 2023/24 season as the new face of Barcelona, standing out as a gem in a sea of disappointments and injuries during this difficult campaign.
His message to Xavi on Instagram was unsurprisingly heartfelt, as the legendary midfielder was the one who gave Yamal is first chance to become a superstar:
“Thank you for always trusting me. It has been a pleasure to learn and work with you, Mister. Forever a Cule Legend, Good luck.”
Xavi and Barcelona have always trusted Yamal from the beginning, allowing him to start every match on the right side and usurp a very good footballer in Raphinha as the unquestioned starter in Catalunya.
Barcelona have rebuffed mega transfer offers from PSG in order to keep Yamal, as he is the most unsellable of the select group of unsellables at the club.
Part of Xavi’s legacy at Barcelona will always involve Yamal, since he was the manager who first gave the teenage superstar his first shot at starting – and stuck with him.
