Round 38 of La Liga ended and Xavi officially left the hot seat at Camp Nou. Leaving behind the story of the conflict with the owners in the last days, leading to the termination of the contract, in the eyes of Barca fans, the image of Xavi is still as beautiful as when he was a great legend of the club with his player career.
Xavi may leave Barca with a conflict, but the relationship between him and La Masia will not change. The young players who have been promoted from the training camp over the past 2 years are the greatest legacy left by the Spanish captain. Among them, the name Fermin Lopez is the most prominent morning star.
Barcelona closed La Liga with a 2-1 away win over Sevilla, thereby closing the season with second place in the table and 10 points behind archrival Real Madrid. Lopez was the one who scored the final goal, a low shot from outside the penalty area.
After scoring and performing a familiar celebration, Lopez walked to the bench and hugged his teacher Xavi. To get to that moment, for Lopez, it was a very long journey. Last season, he also had to play for Third Division team Linares on loan. After that, Xavi gave Lopez the opportunity to join the first team. This season, the 21-year-old midfielder appeared 42 times and had 11 goals.
“He made my dream of becoming a Barcelona player come true. My family and I will forever be grateful to Xavi” – Lopez shared.
Xavi and Fermin Lopez’s hug means a lot. Photo: FC Barcelona
Not only Fermin Lopez, there are many other young names who are gradually becoming the backbone of Barcelona under the hands of Xavi. Gavi is an example even though this young midfielder is recovering from injury. After the match against Sevilla, the image of Lopez and Gavi walking and talking made many Blaugrana fans feel secure. They are the future of the team for several years, even many years to come.
However, Xavi’s Barca is not just about Lopez and Gavi? This season, two of La Masia’s prominent names – Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal have played so well and become irreplaceable pillars. Yamal was brought onto the field by Xavi when he was just over 15 years old. The win against Sevilla was also the 51st time this star played for Barcelona.
As for Cubarsi, just a few days before his 17th birthday, this young midfielder, along with Yamal, was called up by Luis de la Fuente to the Spanish national team on the preliminary list to play EURO 2024.
Those are prominent names, but behind that there are still a few more morning stars waiting to be introduced. Hector Fort (17 years old) had a few minutes on the field in the latest match against Sevilla. Xavi also gave a chance to Marc Guiu (18 years old) when he scored the decisive goal to bring home the victory against Athletic Bilbao.
Cubarsi and Yamal will be the backbone of Barca for many years to come. Photo: AFP/FC Barcelona
Xavi will be very sad when forced to say goodbye after a conflict with owner Joan Laporta but that’s life, things don’t always go your way. Xavi still has many unfinished plans with the current group of young talents, but he has to look at someone new coming up and taking over his legacy.
“I feel very sad tonight, last night was the same. We want to stay at the club and are excited about the next season” – Xavi answered in an interview after the match, not forgetting to add about being criticized by the media. and some internal parties inside Barca put pressure.
“This group of players is very talented. The legacy I have owes a lot to their support. Together, we have experienced many painful feelings but also lived in countless glorious moments.
I am a professional coach and will continue to do so. Let’s see what will happen in the near future. Right now, I want to rest and spend more time with my family” – Xavi shared.
Goodbye and see you again! Photo: AFP