Biography
Who is Xavi Hernández?
Early life and background
Xavi Hernández was born in Terrassa, Spain, on January 25, 1980. His father, Joaquim, played professional football for Sabadell in the first division. His older brother, Óscar Hernández Creus, also pursued a career as a football player and manager.
As a child, Xavi joined Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, at the age of 11. He developed his skills through the youth and reserve ranks, eventually helping the Barcelona B team win promotion to the Second Division.
Club career at Barcelona
Xavi made his first-team debut for Barcelona in August 1998 against Mallorca. He quickly established himself in the squad, winning the La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year award at the end of his debut season. Over the years, he became the team's principal playmaker following an injury to Pep Guardiola.
Playing alongside teammates like Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, Xavi was instrumental in a period of immense success for the club. He won multiple La Liga titles, Copa del Rey trophies, and Champions League titles. He played 767 official matches for Barcelona before leaving the club in 2015 to join Al Sadd in Qatar.
International career with Spain
Xavi represented Spain across various youth levels, winning the FIFA World Youth Championship in 1999 and securing an Olympic silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. He made his senior team debut in 2000 and earned 133 caps for his country during his career.
He played an integral role in Spain's victory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Also, he helped lead the national team to consecutive victories at UEFA Euro 2008 and UEFA Euro 2012, earning the Player of the Tournament honor in 2008 before retiring from international football after the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Transition to management
Following his retirement as a player with Al Sadd in 2019, Xavi transitioned directly into football management. He took charge of the Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd in May 2019 and secured seven trophies in less than three years.
In November 2021, Xavi returned to his former club Barcelona as head coach. During his first full season at the helm, he successfully guided the team to victory in the 2022–23 La Liga title race alongside the 2023 Supercopa de España.
Birthday and age
Xavi Hernández was born on January 25, 1980, which makes Xavi 46 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Xavi shares the date with 26 other famous people.
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