Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has revealed why he decided to continue as Barcelona manager after his initial decision to step down in the summer.
The former Al-Saad manager had announced in January 2024 that he would step down as Barcelona manager as pressure tanked up on him following the club’s poor campaign this season.
However, on Wednesday, April 24, a meeting between the 44-year-old, Barcelona president Joan Laporta, and sporting director Deco yielded a positive result.
We reported earlier the LaLiga-winning manager has reverted from his decision to leave the club after the meeting, and will see out the remaining 12 months of his contract next season.
The report of Xavi’s change of heart has been met with different reactions with some reports insinuating that he wasn’t satisfied with the old terms of contract with the club.
Others speculate the legendary culer just wanted to draw Barcelona chiefs to the table for negotiations, and money has been at the core of his decision to leave in the summer.
Now, to set the record straight, Xavi has come out to debunk rumors he wanted more money before deciding to continue with the club.
In a quote shared by Fabrizio Romano, he said;
“I changed my mind because I really felt total confidence from the president, from the board and the players too. This project isn’t finished yet”.
“Me, my staff, all together feel that we have strength to make important things together and continue this project”.
“Rumours about me staying as I wanted to get the money from my final year of contract are fake… and invented to damage me.”
“The president knows that if I had left a club, I would not have asked Barcelona for one single euro for my final year of contract.”
Away from the different narratives on why Xavi has decided to continue at Barcelona, Barcelona president Joan Laporta expressed his excitement in having Xavi continue next season.
According to him, it is good news for Barcelona as the club needed stability and a manager in the character of Xavi, who loves the club, to helm affairs at the dugout.
“Xavi has expressed his joy to stay at Barça, continue this project, and improve together. We are excited. It’s excellent news for Barça”.
“Stability is key for successful projects, Xavi is a true Barcelonista. We share this feeling: Barça on top of his mind”.
“I haven’t seen our fans so excited in a long time. We are all together with Xavi.”
Xavi’s change of heart has put an end to speculations linking top European managers to the Barcelona job. However, Futballnews understands the Spaniard will enter the last lap of his contract with the club next season. And there are projections of a possible renewal should he impress on this last stretch.
