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Xavi Hernández features in his 700th official match for FC Barcelona
www.fcbarcelona.cat
01/17/2014 08:00
The Catalan midfielder, who is about to turn 34, has played a total of 700 official matches in the Blaugrana strip
Xavi Hernández’s legend continues to grow match after match. This Thursday at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez he wrote another page in FC Barcelona history as he featured in his 700th official match with the first team. The midfielder broke Migueli’s record of matches played for Barça (549) in 2011.
15 years have passed since Louis Van Gaal gave Xavi, who was 18 years old at the time, his first team debut. It was on August 18 of 1998, in the Spanish Super Cup match against Mallorca; Xavi also scored a goal in that game. He’s been on FC Barcelona’s roster for 16 years, and you could say that he’s seen it all. He’s been managed by nine different coaches (Van Gaal, Serra Ferrer, Rexach, Toño de la Cruz, Antic, Rijkaard, Guardiola, Vilanova and Tata Martino) and he’s played a total of 54,726 minutes in the Blaugrana colours.
Xavi averages 43.75 games per season with Barça; he made the most appearances for the team in the 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, with a total of 54. He only participated in 22 games in the 2005/06 season due to knee injury.
The competition Xavi has featured the most in is the Liga, with 459 appearances. He’s played 143 Champions League games, 63 Copa del Rey games, 14 Spanish Super Cup matches, 5 Club World Cup games and 3 European Super Cup games.
Collector of titles
Xavi is not only the player who has played the most games for Barça but he’s also the player who has won the most titles. In total he’s won 22 titles: 7 Ligas, 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Copas del Rey, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 2 European Super Cups and 2 Club World Cups).
The shirt will go to the Museum
Xavi Hernández will donate the shirt he played in this evening to the FC Barcelona Museum.
Xavi praised by FC Barcelona colleagues
www.fcbarcelona.cat
01/17/2014 12:20
Puyol, Iniesta, Messi, Valdés and Sergio Busquets have spoken about Xavi's role in FC Barcelona history on occasion of his 700th official appearance
Privileged, an example, different, the best, the brains of the team... So many ways to describe Xavi Hernández, who has completed 700 first team appearances and is a living legend at FC Barcelona. His fellow captains since 2006, Puyol, Valdés and Messi, along with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets have recorded their congratulations.
Defining a great
Iniesta says that Xavi “is a leader, an example, on a footballing level he’s privileged because he’s always ahead of the game, of what’s happening.” Puyol and Valdés both described him as the ‘best’, the former stating that “he’s one of the best players in the world, a key player both for Barça and the national team”, while the FCB goalkeeper adds that “he’s the best midfielder Barça has ever had”.
Last year, when Messi won his fourth Ballon d’Or “it was a pleasure to be next to Xavi. He is a different player who makes things look easy. He sees passes that only he sees. He gets the whole team playing and gets it moving from side to side as he likes.”
And what about the players that came up from the youth team? Sergio Busquets explains that “he’s the brains of the team, he gives it balance and never loses the ball”.
A moment
Sixteen years make for a long time in the first team, and the man Xavi has spent most time with, Carles Puyol, said that “we had five very difficult years. We’d speak and say that it was not right that a team like FC Barcelona could go so long without winning anything. But luckily things changed and we were able to win a lot of titles with this team”.
The final in Rome was the big moment for Andrés Iniesta, who said that “both for him and for me it was very satisfying to win that”. Meanwhile, Messi’s fondest memory was the Ballon d’Or gala in 2010 when he, Xavi, Iniesta were the finalists. “So many games, so many things we’ve been through, so many year’s playing. It’s difficult to pick one moment, but one nice thing was when we went together to the Ballon d’Or, and we experienced that together, along with Andrés Iniesta”.
Objective 1000
Now he’s played 700 games, Carles Puyol feels Xavi “can play a lot more, 1000 would be a nice number.” And Valdés added that “Barça has never had a midfielder or a player like him, for all he has given and the way he feels the club colours”.
Messi concluded that “it’s mad how many games he’s played and let’s hope he plays a whole lot more because he’s good for us and the people”. And Iniesta commented that “it has been a privilege to have been alongside him practically throughout my career, and I hope there’s a lot more time for us to be together”.
Sergio Busquets has no doubt about it. “He’s an example for me and for all the players coming out of the youth system and trying to get into the first team”.
Xavi's career in photos:
www.fcbarcelona.cat
01/17/2014 08:00
The Catalan midfielder, who is about to turn 34, has played a total of 700 official matches in the Blaugrana strip
Xavi Hernández’s legend continues to grow match after match. This Thursday at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez he wrote another page in FC Barcelona history as he featured in his 700th official match with the first team. The midfielder broke Migueli’s record of matches played for Barça (549) in 2011.
15 years have passed since Louis Van Gaal gave Xavi, who was 18 years old at the time, his first team debut. It was on August 18 of 1998, in the Spanish Super Cup match against Mallorca; Xavi also scored a goal in that game. He’s been on FC Barcelona’s roster for 16 years, and you could say that he’s seen it all. He’s been managed by nine different coaches (Van Gaal, Serra Ferrer, Rexach, Toño de la Cruz, Antic, Rijkaard, Guardiola, Vilanova and Tata Martino) and he’s played a total of 54,726 minutes in the Blaugrana colours.
Xavi averages 43.75 games per season with Barça; he made the most appearances for the team in the 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons, with a total of 54. He only participated in 22 games in the 2005/06 season due to knee injury.
The competition Xavi has featured the most in is the Liga, with 459 appearances. He’s played 143 Champions League games, 63 Copa del Rey games, 14 Spanish Super Cup matches, 5 Club World Cup games and 3 European Super Cup games.
Collector of titles
Xavi is not only the player who has played the most games for Barça but he’s also the player who has won the most titles. In total he’s won 22 titles: 7 Ligas, 3 Champions Leagues, 2 Copas del Rey, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 2 European Super Cups and 2 Club World Cups).
The shirt will go to the Museum
Xavi Hernández will donate the shirt he played in this evening to the FC Barcelona Museum.
Xavi praised by FC Barcelona colleagues
www.fcbarcelona.cat
01/17/2014 12:20
Puyol, Iniesta, Messi, Valdés and Sergio Busquets have spoken about Xavi's role in FC Barcelona history on occasion of his 700th official appearance
Privileged, an example, different, the best, the brains of the team... So many ways to describe Xavi Hernández, who has completed 700 first team appearances and is a living legend at FC Barcelona. His fellow captains since 2006, Puyol, Valdés and Messi, along with Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets have recorded their congratulations.
Defining a great
Iniesta says that Xavi “is a leader, an example, on a footballing level he’s privileged because he’s always ahead of the game, of what’s happening.” Puyol and Valdés both described him as the ‘best’, the former stating that “he’s one of the best players in the world, a key player both for Barça and the national team”, while the FCB goalkeeper adds that “he’s the best midfielder Barça has ever had”.
Last year, when Messi won his fourth Ballon d’Or “it was a pleasure to be next to Xavi. He is a different player who makes things look easy. He sees passes that only he sees. He gets the whole team playing and gets it moving from side to side as he likes.”
And what about the players that came up from the youth team? Sergio Busquets explains that “he’s the brains of the team, he gives it balance and never loses the ball”.
A moment
Sixteen years make for a long time in the first team, and the man Xavi has spent most time with, Carles Puyol, said that “we had five very difficult years. We’d speak and say that it was not right that a team like FC Barcelona could go so long without winning anything. But luckily things changed and we were able to win a lot of titles with this team”.
The final in Rome was the big moment for Andrés Iniesta, who said that “both for him and for me it was very satisfying to win that”. Meanwhile, Messi’s fondest memory was the Ballon d’Or gala in 2010 when he, Xavi, Iniesta were the finalists. “So many games, so many things we’ve been through, so many year’s playing. It’s difficult to pick one moment, but one nice thing was when we went together to the Ballon d’Or, and we experienced that together, along with Andrés Iniesta”.
Objective 1000
Now he’s played 700 games, Carles Puyol feels Xavi “can play a lot more, 1000 would be a nice number.” And Valdés added that “Barça has never had a midfielder or a player like him, for all he has given and the way he feels the club colours”.
Messi concluded that “it’s mad how many games he’s played and let’s hope he plays a whole lot more because he’s good for us and the people”. And Iniesta commented that “it has been a privilege to have been alongside him practically throughout my career, and I hope there’s a lot more time for us to be together”.
Sergio Busquets has no doubt about it. “He’s an example for me and for all the players coming out of the youth system and trying to get into the first team”.
Xavi's career in photos:
