Xavi had decided on his own to walk away but did an about-face and continued on as head coach. The club legend has a contract until June 2025. The Barcelona brass are reportedly set to meet on May 30th to make their final decision on the manager.

Xavi has won two titles with Barcelona as coach and amassed an 89-29-24 record since taking over the club in November 2021.

How Much Would Barcelona Pay Xavi if They Sack Him?

According to 90min, Barcelona would need to pay Xavi 15 million euros if they were to fire him. The 15 million euros would be for his staff members as well as Xavi himself.

Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta recently stated that the club is again facing financial difficulties. Said funds would most likely go to squad expenses that would hit the Catalan giants hard. Laporta and other club officials are hopeful Xavi leaves and renounces at least what is owed to him as a sort of “love” for Barcelona.

While big names have been attached to Xavi’s job, reports indicate the club will have to pick out-of-work managers or Barcelona B coach Rafa Márquez as Xavi’s replacement.

Come February, Barca will take on Napoli in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, but fans are not holding their breath that FC Barcelona will win Europe’s biggest prize at the club level.

In a press conference, the battle-scarred manager addressed the issues of his team’s recent form which includes a devastating defeat at the hands of Real Madrid 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final.

Xavi on his Barcelona future

The manager spoke about what may come if things don’t start to adjust themselves, “The day I notice that the players are not with me, I will take my things and leave”.

“We’ve always reached the realistic goals. If this season we don’t reach our goals… then I’ll be the first to take a step back”.

When asked about the support of President Joan Laporta and his visit to the club the manager responded, “The president was here to tell us about faith and confidence in the staff and in the players. That’s what he conveyed to us”.

Xavi’s Barcelona record

Since taking over Barcelona in November of 2021, the former midfield mastermind has a record of 74-24-21 with a near 63% winning percentage. Xavi has won two titles with Barcelona a league and Spanish Super cup.

Now, Messi has a significant lead in the list of top winners of the award given by France Football magazine. Cristiano Ronaldo is in second place with 5, followed by Michael Platini (3), Johan Cruyff (3) and Marco van Basten (3).

A few weeks after the gala in Paris, Wesley Sneijder has sparked a new controversy by stating that Lionel Messi should not have won the 2010 Ballon d’Or.

On that occasion, the Dutchman wasn’t even among the top three finalists, given the spectacular year of Xavi and Andres Iniesta. That was remarkable considering Sneijder won the treble with Inter Milan and led the Netherlands to the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Wesley Sneijder: Lionel Messi should not have won the 2010 Ballon d’Or

Even though Sneijder ended 2010 with the Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia, he finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or voting. Messi claimed the award for the second consecutive time with Andres Iniesta and Xavi completing the podium. These were Wesley’s recent words during an interview with AlHayah TV.

“It was a bit unfair that I wasn’t crowned with the 2010 Ballon d’Or and Messi won it. Although I’m not the type of person to cry over it, the Ballon d’Or is an individual award and what I prefer is winning collective trophies. If I had to choose between the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or, I would choose the Champions League I achieved. I am very happy with that title.”

Did Lionel Messi deserve to win the 2010 Ballon d’Or?

Lionel Messi won the 2010 Ballon d’Or with 22.67% of the votes. Andres Iniesta had 17.36% and Xavi 16.48%. Wesley Sneijder finished fourth (14.48%) and Diego Forlan in fifth place (7.61%).

Certainly, the decision generated a lot of controversy because, in a World Cup year, experts believed that a player who won in South Africa should have taken home the award. Just as it happened in 2023 with Messi.

In that year, the most significant collective title for Messi was La Liga in Spain, while Xavi and Iniesta had the World Cup. On the other hand, Wesley Sneijder had achieved the historic treble with Inter Milan.

During the first half, Xavi and Vinicius Jr went viral thanks to a heated exchange of words on the sideline. Real Madrid’s player complained about a supposed foul by Nelson Araujo but, Barcelona’s coach wouldn’t have it.

In that moment, Xavi approached to Vinicius Jr and held the Brazilian’s face. Many fans thought this would spark a brawl. However, the player took it lightly and smiled about the situation.

Vinicius Jr and another controversial episode in El Clasico

A few minutes later, Ferran Torres tackled Vinicius Jr trying to stop a counterattack by Real Madrid. It was kind of a rugby move. That’s why, in the process of falling, Vini hit the Spanish player in the head. However, a fight was also avoided.

The economics seemed farfetched, according to Messi himself the club would have had to sell and lower wages of many players in order to accommodate his contract. something Messi did not want hovering over his shoulders.

Many pundits have stated that Messi and his camp have a very poor relationship with current Barcelona president Joan Laporta and that a deal from Barcelona was never going to happen. Now current Barcelona manager and former teammate of Messi, Xavi made his first public statement.

Xavi on Lionel Messi

“All parties were excited. (Messi) was the first, but the circumstances have not occurred. Many times, you want something, but the circumstances do not occur. He wants to lower the pressure levels: he wants a calmer life”, Xavi stated to Jijantes.

It has been Barcelona’s narrative that Messi wants to lower his footballing pressure, but the reality is that Messi has two major goals, play the 2024 Copa America and try to play the 2026 World Cup.

“It is a personal decision, and you have to respect it. I was convinced that we would do well with Messi here. The last thing I want is to cheat the Barcelona player. There were private conversations with Leo that I am not going to reveal but he was very excited. I wish him all the best, he is a friend, we have talked a lot. Until a few days ago there was communication. It has not been easy” Xavi finished.

However, there’s still hope. Barcelona are first place inLa Liga, won the Spanish Super Cup and will play in the semifinals of the Spanish Cup. The problem is thousands of fans are wondering if this team have what it takes toward the final stretch of the season against a powerhouse like Real Madrid.

Now, Xavi is facing criticism once again during his rebuilding process at Barcelona. Nevertheless, in a shocking statement, the coach believes that, even after failing in Champions League and Europa League, the season could still finish on a good note.

Xavi sends message of hope for Barcelona’s fans

Prior to the game against Almeria in La Liga, Xavi was questioned again about Barcelona’s lack of results in continental tournaments. Following two groupstages failures at the Champions League and two knockout round exits in Europa League (Eintracht Frankfurt and Manchester United), Xavi considers this is not a bad season.

“The biggest disappointment of the season was the elimination from Champions (League). This one hurts (Europa League), but we have La Liga and he Spanish Cup (Copa del Rey). For us it’s essential to finish the season on a good note. We have to compete in La Liga and the Cup. We have to keep winning titles. It’s tough to lose, but we have to keep competing.”

Xavi’s results in Europe are far away of what everyone’s expecting, especially after the star players who arrived in the summer. In the last four tournaments (Champions League or Europa League), Barcelona have six wins, six ties and eight losses. They have received 33 goals. This season, in both competitions, they received at least a goal in every match played.

“We have to be 200 per cent focused. If we win those tournaments, it will be really a good season. In a big club like this, it’s a good season if we win La Liga. It depends on us and we have hope. We’re more competitive and we can win titles.”

Barcelona has gotten off to a sluggish start with 2 wins and 2 draws in La Liga, and a brutal 3-0 home loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. ESPN reports that the club is looking to replace him, even though Koeman will coach the team on Thursday against Cadiz.

Barcelona is rumored to have lined up 4 possible replacements for Koeman, here is the list of coaches that Barcelona is looking at to take over the club in one of the toughest moments in the team’s history.

Xavi

Xavi is currently the head coach of Al Sadd is Qatar, but he is a Barcelona legend having played over 500 games for the club and winning 25 championships. Xavi would almost have unanimous approval from the supporters.

Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo recently was the coach of Juventus, but his tactics came under fire at times and is still a relatively new manager, to replace Koeman with someone who struggled already with a big club would be more of the same for Barcelona.

Joachim Low

Former Germany head coach Joachim Low would be an interesting choice to lead Barcelona back to the promise land. Low had a very successful 16 years in charge of Germany winning the 2014 World Cup.

Antonio Conte

Antonio Conte snapped Inter Milan’s Serie A title drought and has already coached other big clubs like Chelsea and Juventus. Conte would be a safe bet for Barcelona who need balance for a young squad who is feeling the pressure.

During Koeman’s watch, so far, Barcelona suffered various big game defeats against Juventus, Real Madrid, and an early exit from the Champions League. Despite a late season run the club did not win the league and only was able to win the Copa Del Rey this season. Ronald Koeman also had to cope with the “Messi Gate ” situation which in the view of public opinion, the club were the villains.

According to TV3, Joan Laporta and Ronald Koeman held a meeting where the Barcelona president asked for a 15-day window to find a replacement for the former Netherlands coach. If indeed Ronald Koeman has coached his last game at Barcelona, these three candidates could be the front runners to coach Barcelona if Koeman is fired.

Antonio Conte

The Italian manager and former Inter Milan coach is now on the market following winning the Serie A title and ending Inter Milan’s championship drought. Antonio Conte has a big team resume having coached Italy, Chelsea, and Juventus.

Xavi

While Xavi is currently coaching Al Sadd SC in Qatar, it has long been rumored that the former midfield general could fill any void if called upon. According to reports, Xavi is the top candidate among the Barcelona board. Barcelona would only need to secure his release from Al Sadd.

Frank Rijkaard

While out of the game since 2013, Frank Rijkaard was the starting point of the worldwide phenomenon that would be Barcelona, going back to 2003 – 2008. Winner of two leagues, 1 Champions League, and two Spanish Super Cups, Mundo Deportivo indicated that Rijkaard could step in since he is highly viewed by Messi and company. With Barcelona in financial troubles, Rijkaard could be a much cheaper and safe option.