Why Xavi declined Barcelona’s offer

Barcelona legend Xavi has recently admitted to been contacted by Barcelona hierarchy for the post of the head coach of Barcelona.

However, the Al-Sadd boss rejected the offer and has now revealed his reasons behind it.

Xavi: Barcelona came “too soon”

Barcelona were out looking for a manager to replace Ernesto Valverde. And Xavi was the first to be approached, though they were left disappointed as they couldn’t get their first choice appointment.

As Xavi denied the job feeling it was “too early” for him to manage a club as big as Barcelona.

“Yes, I received an offer from Barcelona in the presence of Eric Abidal and Oscar Grau, but I didn’t accept it,

“It’s too soon to coach Barcelona, but it will continue to be my dream to be Barcelona coach in the future”

“Now I start my career at zero, I can’t start with a Ferrari or a transatlantic ship, I have to start with a small boat, a small car, test myself, gain experience, and yes, it’s true that the objective is to return to Barcelona, but I’m calm,

“The idea is to start as a coach in Qatar, where there is not as much pressure, to test myself and to gain experience, and the objective is to return to Europe and most of all to Barcelona.“

Barcelona  appoints Quique Setien instead

Barcelona have instead appointed former Real Betis manager Quique Setien on a contract running till 2022. Which also includes a break clause in 2021 when a new President is chosen by Barcelona.

Xavi made over 500 appearances for the Catalans and won 25 trophies in his tenure. His trophy cabinet included eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Reys, six Supercopa de Españas and four Champions Leagues.

He then moved to Qatar in 2015 and made 82 appearances for Al-Sadd, also scoring 21 goals in the process. He then went on to take over the reins of the club since 2019 as manager.