"What a bad streak" - La Liga manager calls out Barcelona for treating club legends like Lionel Messi, Ronald Koeman and Xavi badly

Sevilla boss Quique Sanchez has called out the Barcelona hierarchy for mistreating club legends like Lionel Messi, Ronald Koeman, and Xavi Hernandez. Sanchez's comments come after the Blaugrana shockingly sacked the latter, with Hansi Flick set to replace him ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Xavi established himself as one of the best midfielders in football history during his time as a player at Barcelona between 1998 and 2015. He returned to the club as a manager in November 2021, replacing Ronald Koeman. The Spaniard found great success the following season, leading Barcelona to La Liga glory as well as winning the Supercopa de Espana.

However, amid the Blaugrana's struggles this season, Xavi announced he would be stepping down as head coach in January 2024. However, he seemingly reversed his decision last month and decided to see out his contract until the end of next season. Despite this, he was shockingly sacked by club president Joan Laporta earlier today, much to fans' distress.

Sanchez gave his take on Laporta's decision, saying (via @Fabrizio Romano on X):

“I shouldn’t say this… but how badly Barcelona treats its legends. What a bad streak. It’s probably a bad streak, but what a bad streak. What a bad streak."

“With Koeman, with Messi, with Xavi now, how bad. I wish clubs treated their legends well, fantastically well. That would be fantastic. That is a legacy of connection from the managers to the fans. This connects a lot. Treating legends well."

Barcelona have controversially made similar decisions in recent history amid their financial woes. They were forced to part ways with Lionel Messi in the summer of 2021 after the club couldn't afford to offer him a new contract, despite the Argentine ace still being one of the best players in the world at the time.

Moreover, Ronald Koeman - who shone at the club as a defender between 1989 and 1995 - was also shown the door in October 2021 after failing to meet expectations as manager. Despite his struggles, Laporta took it a step too far a few months prior, publicly claiming Koeman wasn't his first choice as Barcelona boss and that he was looking for a new manager.

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What did Lionel Messi accomplish during his time at Barcelona?

Lionel Messi didn't depart from Barcelona on his own terms, being forced out of the club, despite helping them dominate Europe for seventeen seasons. Nevertheless, let's take a look at what the 36-year-old achieved during his time at Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi came up through La Masia between 2000 and 2003, before making his senior debut a year later. He established himself as one of the greatest players of all time, amassing 672 goals and 303 assists in 778 appearances across all competitions - the most in the club's history.

In addition, Lionel Messi won 34 trophies for the Blaugrana, including 10 La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League trophies. This enabled him to win eight Ballons d'Or, which is also the most in the sport's history.

Messi was forced to join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 where he plied his trade for two seasons. He currently represents MLS side Inter Miami.