I've been a man of the club. I've prioritised it above even myself. I've given everything I have," said Xavi.
"And I will continue to do so to make the fans feel proud."
The 44-year-old, who won 25 honours during an illustrious playing career at Barcelona, will officially step down on 30 June despite still having a year left on his contract.
The 2010 World Cup winner said he made the decision following talks with Barcelona president Joan Laporta, vice-president Rafa Yuste, with sporting director Deco.
Barca are third in the table on 44 points, 10 behind leaders Real Madrid and eight adrift of second-placed Girona.
"I'd like to announce that as of June 30 I will not continue as Barca coach," he told a press conference after meeting with club president Joan Laporta for over half an hour.
‘I decided it some time ago,’ he said of his decision to give up on the possibility of staying on beyond the end of the season.
‘People talk about there being a (Sir Alex) Ferguson at Barcelona but that is impossible at this club,’ he added in a bizarre post-match press conference hinting at a sense of being treated harshly despite leading Barcelona to the league title last season.
I don't want to be a problem for the club, I want to be a solution. I was a solution two years ago when I was appointed, but now, thinking with my heart and thinking about the club, it's best that I leave in the summer."
Xavi insists his decision is "irreversible" regardless of any success Barça may have between now and the end of the campaign.
"The feeling of being Barça coach can be unpleasant," he continued. "It's cruel, there's a lack of respect towards you, your work is not valued. ... It's terrible on your mental health and your morale.
He guided Barcelona to the 2023 La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup last year.
Xavi is an important figure for Barcelona as he spent 24 years as a player and won 25 major trophies, including eight Spanish La Liga and four UEFA Champions League titles.
Separately, he helped Spain win the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Xavi went on to say he hadn’t informed the players of his decision but was very much thinking of them when he made his decision.
“I haven’t told the players, tomorrow I will talk to them, today I have seen them very upset, it is one of the reasons for this change of dynamics, they do not deserve the situation we are going through.
“There is a very good human quality, very good team and what is happening often has no explanation. We have to be brave just as we were when we came, and not cling to the position and the contract. It is a situation that has to be decided like this.”
The hunt for the new Barcelona boss will now start. Who would you like to take over from Xavi after he walks away in the summer? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
The players should be at a different level after three years in charge. Individually they look worse than last season and collectively there is no defined style. Xavi will have to decide if that was his own failure, or if the conditions were not right for him to succeed.
Because he had a lot of success as a player he does not need to push for success as a manager. If he doesn't want it that much, then maybe he wasn't ready for Barcelona. But that is something he will have to analyse at some point.
0 Comments