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Xavier Hernández defined an era for Spain and Barcelona. The Terrassa native famed for his ability to retain and cycle possession was the embodiment of tiki-taka football for the Spain and Barcelona sides which took the world by storm. The ex-Blaugrana midfielder made over 500 appearances for his boyhood club as he led them to eight La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies. Now at the twilight of his career, the retired Spanish international plies his trade for Qatar Stars League side Al Sadd.
In an exclusive interview to www.sc.qa, Xavi spoke about his memories of the World Cup, Maradona’s heroics, his side’s World Cup triumph in South Africa and his desire to one day be back in his old stomping ground-FC Barcelona.
On his Memories of the World Cup
The Al Sadd midfielder has many fond memories of 1982 World Cup which was hosted by his nation and the Cup’s mascot Naranjito. He vividly remembers the exploits of Diego Maradona in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, the Argentine’s Hand of God and his incredible goal against England. He also said that he had never seen a World Cup match in person, not until he played in one.
But Xavi followed the vast majority of the matches on television, even the World Cup in the United States, which he watched with his siblings at three or four in the morning in Spain.
“I remember Diego Maradona, in the 1986 World Cup, I was six years old by that point, with the famous Hand of God. I remember that incredible goal he scored against England, which went down in history, the success of the Argentina national team and Maradona’s impact.”
On Spain’s World Cup success in South Africa
Xavi credited Spain’s 2010 World Cup success to their winning mentality. He acknowledged that Spain were a little hesitant after they lost their group’s opening match to Switzerland but believes that sticking to their philosophy ultimately paid off as Spain started to play well from the last 16 game against Portugal.
He opined, “We really had to fight against Paraguay in the quarter-final, but then we played a great game in the semis and we played well against the Netherlands in the Final too. To some extent, we built on the success we’d had in the European Championships. We had a winning mentality. We believed we could beat anyone and we felt important out on the pitch. I think we had a great World Cup, even if we didn’t start too well.”
On Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup
The ex-Blaugrana maestro is excited about the project and feels that Qatar has the necessary infrastructure to hold a successful World Cup.
In his own words, “Everything’s going to be very close together. That’s spectacular for the fans because they’re going to be able to see a match and then, a couple of hours later, see another ten minutes away. That’s fantastic, that’s truly fantastic, being able to say “look, one game’s finished, another’s now starting”. Even more so when the best teams on the planet are involved. For players too, it’s going to be interesting not having to travel, being able to stay in the same hotel throughout. There really are some very good advantages.”
On Qatar’s Chances of Qualifying to the 2018 World Cup
“Yes, I think that they can qualify, though it won’t be easy because in Asia there are major nations, big teams, but they should get through the group they’re in now.”, said Xavi.
He also paid tribute to the passion displayed by the fans in Qatar and expressed his desire to help Qatar fulfil their objective of qualifying for the tournament in Russia. “The passion felt for football here is incredible. People follow the Spanish league really closely, but they watch everything, everything.”
On his aspirations of becoming a coach
Pep Guardiola once showered praises upon his ace midfielder with the words "Xavi is a player who has the Barcelona DNA: someone who has the taste for good football, someone who is humble and someone who has loyalty to this (Barcelona) club. From the first moment I saw him play, I knew he would become the brain behind Barcelona for many years to come."
Xavi plans to use his footballing brain to nurture and develop the talents of future generations once he hangs up his boots. He reiterated his desire to return to Barcelona as he concluded the interview by proclaiming “I like the pitch, being close to the football, what happens in the game itself. I'm going to learn the trade – I've already started my education here at the Aspire Academy.”
“I'm following Spanish football from over here while I'm still playing, and I'm really enjoying myself. After that, I don't know what the future will hold for me, but, of course, I'd love to return to Barça one day. That's my aim and the closer it is to the pitch, the better,” Xavi said.
