Barcelona legend Xavi Hernández admitted that not maintaining “high-standards” during his final season managing the club ultimately resulted in his dismissal.
The midfielder turned manager led Barcelona to Spanish Super Cup and La Liga glory in his first term on the touchline in 2022–23. However, his once promising tenure collapsed entirely the following season and Xavi has been out of a job ever since.
Speaking at a conference at Madrid’s ESIC University, a self-critical Xavi opened up about the mistakes he feel led to Barcelona’s 2023–24 struggles and his eventual firing.
“I started my career as Barça manager with high-demands,” he said, via MARCA. “For players and the club given the club was coming from a period where there wasn’t a lot of demands. My mistake was maintaining those standards only for one year.”
“[After winning La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup], I lowered those high-standards and the players no longer had that same attitude, that same respect, that effort. The standards kept lowering more and more until the point we didn’t win anything my last season.
“With time, I was able to be self-critical and I told myself: ‘Damn it, what happened to me?’”
Xavi’s Lasting Legacy as Barcelona Manager
Xavi joined Barcelona in a time where severe economic issues compromised the club’s ability to compete in the transfer market. The Spaniard’s solution? Rely on the biggest pillar: La Masia.
Under Xavi, academy graduates such as Gavi and Alejandro Balde established themselves in Barça’s senior team. He also granted professional debuts to players such as Marc Casadó, Fermín López, Pau Cubarsí and most notably Lamine Yamal. All of them remain key pieces of Barcelona’s current side.
But Yamal stands-out as Xavi’s biggest and most successful gamble. He made Yamal Barcelona’s youngest ever debutant in April 2023, aged just 15, and then granted him 50 appearances in 2023–24, offering the platform to establish himself as one of the best players in the world.
Yamal’s incredible rise has been talked about incessantly over the past year, and it’s something Xavi feels proud on playing a part of.
“I feel very proud of doing what Lamine Yamal is doing right now,” Xavi said. “And to have given him the opportunity to make his debut. I saw him very prepared despite being having just 15 years of age.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xavi Hernandez Reveals ‘Mistake’ That Led to Barcelona Sacking.
