MADRID: Xavi Hernandez was unveiled as Barcelona’s new coach on Monday as thousands of fans welcomed the debt-ridden club’s legendary former midfielder back to Camp Nou.
Xavi walked out to chants of “Xavi, Xavi” before signing his contract on the pitch, alongside his family and Barca president Joan Laporta.
“I don’t want to get too emotional so I will just tell you one thing — we are the best club in the world,” Xavi told the crowd of around 10,000 fans.
“And we will work to the highest standards to have success. We cannot accept defeats or draws, we have to win every game.”
Laporta said: “Today will be a historic day for Barca.”
Xavi is the first Barca coach to be presented on the pitch in front of fans at the 99,000-capacity stadium, with the routine usually only reserved for the club’s biggest signings.
The return of the 41-year-old as coach, six years after he left Barcelona to play in Qatar, has generated huge excitement and raised hopes the club can begin a return to Europe’s elite.
Barca sit ninth in La Liga, with the club grappling with debts of more than a billion euros. They have not been European champions since 2015.
Xavi’s appointment was confirmed in the early hours of Saturday and he flew out of Doha a few hours later, before watching Barcelona at a distance as they threw away a three-goal lead away at Celta Vigo to draw 3-3.
He then attended in person to watch the club’s youngsters as Barca B beat Sevilla B at the Johan Cruyff Stadium on Saturday evening.
Xavi’s first training session in charge will be on Tuesday, although the squad is depleted by injuries and absentees away on international duty.
Barcelona’s first game with Xavi in the dug-out will be at home to local rivals Espanyol on November 20.
After playing 767 games for Barcelona, Xavi left to play for Al Sadd in Qatar in 2015 before taking over as the team’s coach four years later.
He is widely considered one of the Barca’s greatest ever players, having won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, as well as the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.
Xavi unveiled as Barcelona coach to fans at Camp Nou
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Xavi unveiled as Barcelona coach to fans at Camp Nou
- Xavi is the first Barca coach to be presented on the pitch in front of fans at the 99,000-capacity stadium, with the routine usually only reserved for the club’s biggest signings
- The return of the 41-year-old as coach, six years after he left Barcelona to play in Qatar, has generated huge excitement and raised hopes the club can begin a return to Europe’s elite
Home track advantage for Ameerat Alzamaan in the world’s richest race
- 2025 Fillies Mile winner looking to take her chance on Saudi Cup weekend
RIYADH: Saudi Arabian trainer, Sami Alharabi believes home track advantage could play to the strengths of Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz’s runner, Ameerat Alzamaan (GB) in the Group 1 $20 million Saudi Cup at King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Saturday.
The brilliant Red Stable filly, a daughter of Ghaiyyath, has been a local success story winning six of her eight career starts including the 1,000 Guineas and then the Fillies Mile on The Saudi Cup undercard 12 months ago.
“I have been very pleased with her condition and believe she is in much better shape now than she was previously, showing clear improvement,” said Alharabi.
“My confidence comes from the noticeable development I see in her daily training, which gives me strong belief in her progression.
“It is very exciting to have a runner in The Saudi Cup and I place my trust in God for the filly to deliver a positive result.”
The four-year-old was supplemented into the Saudi Cup after missing out on an automatic entry when finding only the reopposing Mhally (GB) too strong in the G3 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Cup last month.
“I thought her performance in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques was very good. It was a successful test for her, especially competing against seasoned and high-quality horses,” added the trainer.
She will race over 1,800 meters on Saturday, and Alharabi believes she will relish the longer distance: “The filly is versatile but I believe her ideal trip is between 1,800 meters and 2,000 meters, which suits her better than 1,600 meters.
“The Japanese horse, Forever Young, is the strongest and most dangerous rival and I anticipate a highly-competitive race, but the filly’s proven record at the track and her liking for the surface could work to her advantage and she will give a good account of herself.”
A jockey has yet to be selected, with Alharabi hoping for gates six or seven at Wednesday’s draw ceremony.
