As FC Barcelona begin their preparations for the next season, changes are already there to be seen. Just recently, the Catalan club has announced the departure and parting of ways with head coach Xavi Hernandez. The current Barcelona manager is now set to just manage the team for one last time against Sevilla.
Following the conclusion of the La Liga season, there will be a lot of movement in terms of both the squad and with the changes to the technical staff as well. German coach Hansi Flick is expected to replace Xavi at the helm of Barcelona, and it seems that the club is hoping to go into a completely new direction.
Xavi himself has already stated his words to bid the club farewell, but his players and students are gradually coming along to thank him for his time as head coach of FC Barcelona. The latest to join in was 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who posted the following message on his social media:
“Thank you for always trusting me. It has been a pleasure to learn and work with you, Mister. Forever a Culé Legend. Good luck!!!”
For Yamal, Xavi’s presence at the club was undoubtedly a crucial one. Given the lack of finances at his disposal to bring in new elite players, the Barcelona coach went on to trust the players from the quarry and academy to fill up that void that needed someone to come in and make their presence known.
In stepped Lamine Yamal, whose rise to the top has been unstoppable ever since. During his time under the mentorship of Xavi Hernandez, the prodigious young winger has made a total of 49 appearances, across which he has played a total of 2872 minutes.
Moreover, beyond just his technical skills and dribbling flair, Yamal is gradually becoming a potent threat in terms of goals and assists as well.
It remains to be seen how Flick would end up changing things around within the team, but Yamal is expected to remain an important player. Xavi was instrumental in giving him his big break, so it is unsurprising to see that the young Barcelona product holds the club legend in such a high regard.
