Xavier Hernández Creus, also known as Xavi Hernández or simply Xavi, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of La Liga club Barcelona.
Xavi Quotes
1. “I’d love to be faster. Physically I’m limited, but I’ve survived by using my head.”
— Xavi
2. “I pass and I move, I help you, I look for you, I stop, I raise my head, I look and, above all, I open up the pitch…The one who has the ball is the master of the game…That’s the school of Joan Vilà, of Albert Benaiges, of Johan Cruijff, of Pep Guardiola.”
— Xavi
3. “Some teams can’t or don’t pass the ball. What are you playing for? What’s the point? That’s not football. Combine, pass, play. That’s football – for me, at least.”
— Xavi
4. “There are two types of football – there’s physical football and football talent.”
— Xavi
5. “In football, the result is an impostor. You can do things really, really well but not win. There’s something greater than the result, more lasting – a legacy.”
— Xavi
6. “Favourite stadium? I have good memories of my CL debut at Old Trafford, a spectacular atmosphere. The Theatre of Dreams, as they say.”
— Xavi
7. “In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen – the most complete – is SCHOLES.”
— Xavi
8. “In futsal, you see whether a player is really talented. You notice the small details in quality, class, and tactical understanding.”
— Xavi
9. “I’m a footballing romantic just like Johan Cruyff. We like football that is attractive, attacking, and easy on the eye. When you win playing like this it’s twice as satisfying. I’ve always played attacking football: my footballing ideals are very clear and well-defined. I grew up at Barcelona with that style and that’s the one I like. I think it’s good to win like that, by taking the initiative right from the off.”
— Xavi
10. “Maybe one small regret is that I never got to play with Paul Scholes – but I was never going to leave Barcelona and he was never going to leave Manchester United.”
— Xavi
11. “In England, footballers are respected more, the game is more noble, there’s less cheating. Every Spaniard who goes loves it – and comes back a better player. If I had ever left it would have been to England.”
— Xavi
12. “I’ve no regrets at all, but I still think at times that I would have loved to play in England. You live football over there; it’s a great culture. People respect you more; it’s more difficult to find respect in Spain. There is more criticism here.”
— Xavi
13. “To me Paul is a role model. He is the best midfielder I’ve seen in the last 15 or 20 years.”
— Xavi
14. “The way I see it, Messi is the best player in history. He is the one who changes the course of games; he’s the best. There is no comparison in my view; he’s the world’s number one and by a margin.”
— Xavi
15. “Iniesta is easily Spain’s most complete player. He has everything.”
— Xavi
16. “The atmosphere generated by the fans in Celtic’s stadium for our visit was the most impressive I’ve ever witnessed. The grounds of Liverpool and Manchester United are good and the hostile feeling of playing against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu is also excellent, but the atmosphere against Celtic was the best.”
— Xavi
17. “I liked the Paul Ince and Roy Keane partnership Manchester United had. They would have been my team had I moved to England.”
— Xavi
18. “Like so many of the players, I started at La Masia at the age of 11. I can’t ever imagine not playing for Barcelona, let alone not playing soccer for a career. I don’t ever want to play anywhere else.”
— Xavi
19. “I think Barcelona and the Spanish national team have been good for soccer because there are a lot of teams that come up playing from the back: with the goalie, the defense, moving up a defender to midfield, playing attacking soccer. I think fans want to see that. They want to see beautiful soccer, a spectacle, and Barcelona does that.”
— Xavi
20. “I don’t actually watch many shows. I will either watch movies or football. I enjoy watching games in the Premier League and will also watch movies a lot as well. That is how I relax.”
— Xavi
21. “Iniesta is easily Spain’s most complete player. He has everything.”
— Xavi
22. “If he continues like this then I think Messi will be the best player in the history of football.”
— Xavi
23. “The way I see it, Messi is the best player in history. He is the one who changes the course of games; he’s the best. There is no comparison in my view; he’s the world’s number one and by a margin.”
— Xavi
24. “Ibiza is a popular vacation place for a lot of the players in Spain. If you go in the summer, there are some of the world’s most famous movie and music stars, so nobody cares about soccer players.”
— Xavi
25. “I’d love to play at Wembley. It’s special for Barça – and for everyone in football.”
— Xavi
26. “If he continues like this then I think Messi will be the best player in the history of football.”
— Xavi
27. “I like to read the papers. I make my living from football, and I like to know what’s going on.”
— Xavi
28. “I would loved to have played with Scholes. He plays the game the way it should be played and at his peak, he was the best midfield player in the world.”
— Xavi
29. “England really is the birthplace, the heart and soul of football. If Barcelona had Liverpool’s fans, or Arsenal’s, or United’s, we’d have won 20 Champions Leagues, hahaha!”
— Xavi
30. “Celtic, like Barcelona, are more than a football club. Our clubs are a symbol of a culture and community that has not always been made welcome in their respective countries.”
— Xavi
