Xavi is confident his decision to remain as coach of Barcelona is “best for the club”, albeit he still believes it’s a “cruel” job.
The former Barca midfielder today completed his U-turn and said he would see out his contract that expires in the summer of 2025 having announced in January he would leave Camp Nou at the end of this season.
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An upturn in results and morale at Barca prompted president Joan Laporta to engage with Xavi in a bid to persuade him to stay and his persistence has paid off.
Explaining the reasons behind his volte-face, Xavi said: “I am a Barcelona man and I always try to do my best for the club.
“When I met with the president I put my position at his disposal but I was given great confidence by him, the sports department and the whole board.
“The backing of the players has also been very important. They have shown me this project has to continue. We are working well and it’s a winning project.
“I think it is best for the club. In January, I thought the best thing was to leave but now I see it differently. I’m very grateful, I think it’s the best decision.”
One of the reasons behind Xavi’s initial decision to quit was the intense scrutiny, particularly from the media, with him labelling the environment as “cruel”.
He said today that that had not changed. He added: “My opinion of the environment is that it will continue to be cruel, but I feel strong and eager.
“The project is not finished and we are going to give everything, but it’s still going to be cruel and unpleasant.”
“We have an extraordinary person as our coach. Barça fans can be proud.”
— President @JoanLaportaFCB pic.twitter.com/KyW6fDRjRR
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) April 25, 2024
Laporta was delighted Xavi was staying. He insisted he had not thought about anyone else in the role as he always hoped this would be the outcome.
He said: “With Xavi I have a lot of affinity and I needed to see him excited with the confidence he transmits.
“I understand the project with Xavi as coach. I told him we would not do anything until the end of the season, that we would not look for a coach and instead wait to see how it ended and how he felt.
“We didn’t talk to anyone because there was hope that Xavi would think about it.”