Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has shed more light on why he chose to stay at Barcelona after his initial decision to leave.
Recall the former Al-Saad manager announced in January 2024 that he will leave Barcelona as pressure tanked up on him following the club’s dwindling fortunes.
He later made a U-turn on the decision after talks with the club president Joan Laporta and director Deco.
Rumors swirled around Xavi’s sudden change of heart with reports he wanted increased monetary incentives from Barcelona board to stay at the club.
Reacting to the rumors, Xavi said he did not change his mind because of money but due to the absolute confidence of the Barcelona board in him.
He also added he was impressed with the club’s new project as presented by Laporta, hence his decision to continue.
The 41-year-old’s decision to continue helming affairs in the Barcelona dugout came days after Barcelona crashed out of the Champions League with a quarterfinal loss to PSG before being crushed in the LaLiga title race with El-Clasico defeat.
The fans believed the back-to-back deadlock which effectively extinguished the club’s title hopes this season would have sealed Xavi’s fate at the club but the reverse was the case. Hence, the U-turn was more of shock to the fans.
Meanwhile, Xavi has shed more light on why he made the U-turn in his first match after the decision. Speaking after Barcelona’s 4-2 victory over Valencia, he said;
”So it was. I think that both at Montjuïc and at the Bernabeu we deserved much more [against PSG and Real Madrid].
”I’m very good, I explained it the other day in a natural way. In January I felt responsible for the bad results and I thought the best thing was to step aside.
‘But then I saw the confidence of the president, of Deco, of the club and in particular of the footballers, which is fundamental.”
Barcelona will end the season trophyless but Xavi will have another chance to prove himself next season.
