One of the biggest jobs in European football is up for grabs again after Xavi was sacked by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
The Barca icon was set to leave the Blaugrana hot seat at the end of 2023/24, after revealing he was stepping down at the start of 2024. Barcelona lost a thrilling La Liga match against Villarreal on January 27, but it wasn’t a result that grabbed the headlines for long after the game.
Head coach Xavi announced after the 5-3 home loss that he will leave Barca at the end of the season. The former midfield star said the decision was “for the good of the players” after a difficult life in the 2023/24 season following last term’s title win.
“For the good of the board, it will be best if I leave,” Xavi said after the defeat, which left Barca 11 points behind surprise early-season leaders Girona. “I will do my best. I think it will all help a dynamic change. This is the message I would like to convey. I think I am doing the right thing.”
Then Barcelona went on a 13 game unbeaten run, perceptions changed and attitudes softened.
Despite being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals after PSG’s thrilling comeback and arch-rivals Real Madrid chasing their 36th LaLiga title, Xavi has produced a sensational turnaround. On 25 April, it was announced that the coach would stay on until at least the end of his current contract, which expires in June 2025.
It was a stunning 81, as Xavi repeated in the weeks and months since first announcing in January that he would not change his mind, to the point where he showed signs of frustration at repeated questions in press conferences.
Maybe he shouldn’t. After publicly discussing Barcelona’s well-documented financial problems earlier this month, relations with Laporta quickly soured. On May 25, a month after his turnaround, Xavi was axed by his boyhood club amid reports that former Bayern Munich boss and German Hansi Flick would take over.
Here we break down his Barcelona record, an era of unforgettable highs that ended in unprecedented chaos.
Xavi’s record at FC Barcelona
| Competition | Games in charge | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 100 | 69 | 16 | 15 | 69% |
| Copa del Rey | 10 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 70% |
| Supercopa de Espana | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 60% |
| Champions League | 18 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 44.4% |
| Europa League | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 20% |
| Club World Cup | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 33.3% |
| TOTAL | 139 | 86 | 23 | 30 | 61.9% |
