Xavi Hernandez is all set to become the new head coach of FC Barcelona after an agreement between the La Liga club and Al Sadd has been reached over the termination of his contract as Qatar-based club’s boss.
In order to acquire the services of their former midfielder, Barcelona has paid a release clause as the 41-year-old will replace Ronald Koeman, who was sacked last week following a poor start to the campaign.
Previously, Xavi had turned down the chance to coach the La Liga giants Barca in January 2020 after Ernesto Valverde was axed. He had extended his stay in charge of Al-Sadd for a further two years in May.
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The former midfield great joined the Qatari outfit as a player in 2015 after 17 trophy-laden years with Barca, becoming head coach after hanging up his boots in 2019 and leading the team to the domestic league title in April, while remaining unbeaten.
In an official statement, Al Sadd CEO Turki Al-Ali said, “Xavi informed us a few days ago of his desire to go to Barcelona at this particular time, because of the critical stage his hometown club is going through, and we understand this and decided not to stand in his way.”
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“The #AlSadd administration has agreed on Xavi’s move to Barcelona after the payment of the release clause stipulated in the contract. We’ve agreed on cooperation with Barcelona in the future. Xavi is an important part of Al Sadd’s history and we wish him success,” the statement added.
For Barcelona, Xavi helped the club to win 25 trophies (four Champions Leagues and eight La Liga titles) in 17 seasons. He left Barcelona in 2015 and is considered one of the greatest players in the club’s history.
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