Xavi Hernández confirms his retirement to begin his career as a coach

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Xavi Hernández will hang up his boots next month. At 39, the Catalan midfielder will end more than twenty years of career to dedicate himself to be a coach. It will be the new work that occupies Xavi in the future that has confirmed his retirement and announced will begin a new stage in the benches.

"This is my last season as a player, but I am looking forward to see what the future holds for me as a coach," reads an article written by Xavi Hernández himself and which has been sent to the media from Doha.

His style does not doubt that he will follow the model of Can Barça: "My philosophy as a coach reflects the style we developed for many years under the influence of Johan Cruyff and La Masía, and that has its maximum exponent in the way of playing football I love to see the teams take the initiative in the field, attack football and return to the essence of what we all love from our childhood days: possession football. "

Xavi says goodbye to a career full of successes, being the last title that lifted the Qatari league with Al Sadd, club in which he has spent the last four seasons. His record is enviable with up to 35 titles under his belt. With Barcelona he made history, raised eight leagues, four Champions League, three Copas del Rey, eight Super Cups of Spain, two of Europe and two Club World Cups. He was a key player in the Spain that won the World Cup in 2010 and two Euro Cups (2008 and 2012).
The complete article by Xavi Hernández

Football is a great tool to unite people and change lives for the better. In March I had the privilege of visiting India for the first time, and I was inspired by the story of Umesh Rathod, a 15-year-old football fan I met in Mumbai.

Umesh is faced daily with numerous difficulties in the shanty community where he lives. There access to water is limited and some children are forced to leave school to work and thus help their families.

However, Umesh's parents insisted that he continue studying and encouraged him to follow his passion: football. I met his family and he showed me his house, his medals and his trophies. I was excited about the visit and the same thing happened to me. I realized almost immediately that he has the right attitude and character to face any situation, and football will help him immensely.

Our meeting in Mumbai was just one example of how Generation Amazing - a program created in 2018 with the goal of the 2022 World Cup having a human and social legacy - is using the power of football to change lives and make sustainable social development possible. communities like Umesh.

In Mumbai we celebrate that Generation Amazing has begun to build a community soccer field that both Umesh and his neighbors will enjoy, including Poonam, a 19-year-old soccer player who also trains children from her community.

Since I was a kid I knew that soccer was my passion. It's my life. Visiting India and getting to know these children has been a wonderful experience. The freedom that you feel as a child is incomparable and, therefore, being able to help these children has made me feel very proud and happy. Football can change the world, without a doubt.

In Umesh I saw the happiness that football produces, that took me back in time, to the feeling of wanting to succeed. During the next four weeks, I will tie my boots to play the last matches of an unforgettable race that has lasted for 21 years and has taken me all over the world.

Winning the Qatar League of Stars, the only title I lacked, has been a perfect ending to my playing career in Qatar. Since I arrived, we had won everything except the league, so I am very happy for Al Sadd Sports Club, an admirable team that has worked very hard to deservedly win this title.

As an athlete, you never tire of winning. Once you have won a title, you always want to earn more. We have a very good generation of football players in Qatar, many of them from the national team that won the Asian Cup earlier this year.

It has been a privilege to play football until I was 39 years old and now I would like to finish the season at the top by winning the Copa del Amir and reaching the next phase in the Asian Champions League. This is my last season as a player, but I'm looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me as a coach.

My philosophy as a coach reflects the style we developed for many years under the influence of Johan Cruyff and La Masía, and that has its greatest exponent in the way of playing football in Barcelona. I love seeing the teams take the initiative in the field, attack football and return to the essence of what we all love from our childhood days: possession football.

What I have achieved in the last two decades has been a privilege and, therefore, I believe it is my duty to take the initiative from the field and return