Xavi Hernandez led his FC Barcelona team for the last time against Sevilla last night and was able to get a win in this game, with goals from Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez.
As Barcelona had already announced, Xavi would be dismissed after this game, and as a result, this game held a special significance for most Barcelona fans.
Xavi himself was feeling a range of emotions as he addressed his last press conference after the match, which has been reported by SPORT.
As opposed to his pre-match conference, Xavi took this opportunity to explain how difficult it has been for him to work at Barcelona: “I don’t want to go into the reasons behind the decision, that doesn’t matter now. The leaders have to explain it because they are the ones who need to explain it.”
“Everything I did caused an earthquake, and in general, I haven’t been able to work with much calm. I believe my work hasn’t been sufficiently appreciated.”
“Very high expectations were created because of my past as a player, which turned against me, and I was scrutinized very closely.”
For his successor, Xavi shared the wisdom that he had gathered over the past two and a half years: “He will suffer, but he should have patience, it is a tough position. The only thing that will save him is winning.”
The former midfielder also highlighted his achievements with the Barcelona team, while acknowledging that this season was not good enough:
“Barça was ninth when I started on this bench, and we managed to compete for the league and finish second. The following year, we achieved a double: the league and the Supercopa, and this year it’s true that we haven’t been able to meet our objectives. We missed out on a few details in four or five specific matches.”
Regarding the match between Barcelona and Sevilla, Fermin Lopez once again got on the scoresheet to end his first season with the first team on a high. Xavi was full of praise for him and recalled how he got his place in the team:
“Fermín is a special case, he wasn’t on Barça’s radar. We brought him back from a loan. We saw in training that he believed in himself. He has been an important player, a very high-level footballer.”
Xavi was also questioned about the potential inclusion of Fermin Lopez in the Spanish National Team for the Euros. His response was emphatic:
“Would I take him to the Euros? That’s up to Luis De la Fuente. I’d take him to war. He’s a committed, professional player, a treasure.”
Lastly, Xavi highlighted the up-and-coming starlets that he will be leaving as his legacy:
“We have a fantastic generation for the club. There’s Fermín, Lamine, Cubarsí, Fort, and also Guiu, who have given us a lot. Besides this legacy, what I take with me is the esteem of the locker room.”
