Xavi Hernandez returned to Barcelona when they needed him the most. Not only the club was going through a financial crisis, but it had also lost its identity on the field. With the Spaniard at the helm, the Catalans recovered their soul.
The former midfielder took the team back to glory days, leading it to its first LaLiga title in three years last season. Now, he aims to make Barca relevant in Europe again.
Many things have passed since Xavi took over, but some memories last longer than others. In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, the 43-year-old made interesting revelations, such as who’s the toughest player he’s faced as Barcelona coach.
Xavi names Rashford as toughest opponent as Barca coach
“[Marcus] Rashford cost us a lot,” Xavi said about the Manchester United star, who stole the show when the Cules met the Red Devils in the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League knockout stages.
The Barcelona manager also mentioned Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema, who made things hard for the Blaugrana with the Real Madrid uniform. Besides, Xavi named the 0-3 defeat to Bayern Munich in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage as his toughest defeat at the helm of the club.
How many trophies has Xavi won as Barcelona coach?
Xavi Hernandez has so far led Barcelona to LaLiga and Spanish Super Cup titles, both of them in the 2022-23 season.