In approximately four hours, Xavi Hernandez, the head coach of Barcelona, will lead his squad against PSG in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League for the first time as a manager.
With much riding on the outcome for Barcelona, Xavi enters the match with a great deal riding on the fact that he will be pitted against Luis Enrique, one of his former managers and mentors.
The possibility that Xavi, who previously appeared exclusively for Barcelona in Europe prior to his transfer to Al Sadd, could have joined
PSG adds to the intrigue
Athens desired Xavi in 2015. According to AS, Xavi, who departed Barcelona for Al Sadd in the summer of 2015, could have potentially joined PSG.
Xavi, who led Barcelona to an unprecedented treble in 2014–2015, decided to move on and signed with Qatari champions Al Sadd.
However, that transfer could have resulted in him playing for Paris Saint-Germain, as then-manager of Les Parisiens Laurent Blanc demanded that the Ligue 1 giants acquire Xavi from Qatar on a season-long loan.
Considering the fact that the proprietor of Al Sadd was the brother of Qatar’s Emir Tamim Bin Hamad al Thani, who also owned PSG, the transaction appeared highly probable.
However, the transfer did not occur, and Xavi remained a professional in Qatar for four years, until 2019, before retiring and assuming the role of manager.
PSG manager Xavi was also well-liked by some. Indeed, there are factions within the PSG hierarchy that advocated for Xavi to assume the managerial role of Barcelona following the dismissal of Mauricio Pochettino.
Al Sadd faced internal disapproval at the French club for permitting Xavi to return to Barcelona in November 2021.
Xavi was widely regarded as an ideal and highly approachable coach in Paris due to the strong affiliation between Al Sadd and PSG.
At the moment Pochettino was dismissed, Xavi had returned to Barcelona.
Additionally, some believe that Xavi, who has always maintained a cordial relationship with the Qatari emirate, could potentially be considered for the managerial position at PSG in the near future.