Who is manager of barcelona

The Spaniard made appearances for the club, a record bettered only by Lionel Messi, and also contributed 85 goals and assists. Xavi left Barca for Al Sadd in and retired four years later before becoming the Qatari club's permanent manager, and delivered the league title in his second season at the helm. Al Sadd won five more trophies under the year-old, who has now decided the time is right to head back to Camp Nou having rejected previous offers from Barca due to a lack of coaching experience.

He had made it clear to reporters he wanted to head home when fresh rumours surfaced. He said: "I really want to go home. I hope it happens. I have a contract and now the clubs have to negotiate.

It's nearly official: Xavi will be making his return to Barcelona as the club's new permanent head coach, taking over for Ronald Koeman who was fired after a challenging start to the new season.

He makes the move from Qatari club Al Sadd which confirmed his departure in a statement. Barcelona has yet to confirm it. The year-old Xavi was one of the stars of the Barcelona team that dominated world football and twice won a treble of trophies, wowing fans with its playing style under manager Pep Guardiola.

While Lionel Messi often claimed the headlines, it was the central midfield featuring Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets that was the heart of those teams. MORE: Barcelona star suffers latest injury setback. Now Xavi gets to take over as Barcelona manager following Koeman's month reign which came to an end following Barca's defeat to Rayo Vallecano on October 27, with the Dutch tactician failing to convince the Camp Nou board of his long-term value to the cause.

Assistant Sergi Barjuan has since filled in as interim. The managerial change comes in a season in which Barcelona is navigating financial challenges brought about by recent years of mismanagement. The purse strings have tightened, preventing it from re-signing club icon Messi during the summer and limiting spending on the player market. The situation has increased the club's dependence on the youth products emerging from its famed La Masia academy, of which Xavi is also a graduate.

Xavi spent 17 seasons at the club and came through its youth system. He is one of the most decorated players in Barca's history, having won 25 trophies at Camp Nou between and , including eight La Liga titles and the Champions League. His appearances for Barcelona have only been surpassed by Messi. As someone who helped set the standard for the club during its glory years, he will be trusted and afforded time by supporters to help the team get back on track.

Xavi is intimately familiar with the club ethos, he will back and develop the club's young players, and he will not commit the same public missteps that Koeman did with some of his comments that didn't sit well with the fanbase.

The biggest gripe supporters had with Koeman was the direct playing style he was imposing on the team, heavily reliant on crosses, which was antithetical to the Barcelona philosophy but which he felt was necessary based on the available personnel. Getty Images. Spain vs. Mexico Roger Gonzalez 3 min read. Player ratings: Pulisic and Musah shine Roger Gonzalez 3 min read. Pulisic trolls Mexico after scoring game winner Mike Goodman 1 min read.