Abu Dhabi: Football legend Xavi Hernandez has given an interview to the Arabic press, in which he spoke at length about his hunger for success at his new club Al Sadd and his Qatar 2022 World Cup ambassador’s role.
He also reflected on his stellar career with Barcelona and Spain with immense satisfaction, hailed his former teammate Lionel Messi as the best player ever and insisted he would remain in football in some capacity once his playing days end.
Excerpts:
Q: What’s your impression of your new teammates so far on this pre-season training camp in Austria?
Xavi: They’ve made a very good impression on me. There’s a special atmosphere here, a very professional one. We are working as one family looking for victories.
Q: What impact has this had on you?
Xavi: It’s helped me settle in quickly and I am enjoying sharing the goal of trying to achieve victories and win championships.
Q: Which players have particularly impressed you?
Xavi: I’ve been quite impressed with the level of [striker] Hassan Al Haidos, who’s one of the most skilful players I’ve seen here. But there are many other outstanding players, such as the captain Talal Baloch.
Q: What are your ambitions with the team?
Xavi: I want to win everything with the team and achieve many victories to help make them at the level of the top European teams. I will also try to transfer the philosophy of Barcelona on how to play.
Q: How will you help the Aspire Academy in Qatar and the country prepare to host the 2022 World Cup?
Xavi: My experience as a player at Barcelona will help me a lot in making the Aspire Academy perform to its fullest. As regards the 2022 World Cup and my role as ambassador, I am ready to do anything for Qatari football. I think Qatar will be able to show its development at the 2022 World Cup. I am happy to participate in the preparation for the 2022 World Cup and I think that we have a lot of work to do in order to make the world know that Qatar is a wonderful country.
Q: You redefined the art of midfield play. How did you do that?
Xavi: The philosophy of Barcelona is a large reason for my development. I was trained in this from an early age and teamwork was central to this. I always try and provide assists to players and that goes back to the philosophy of the group.
Q: How do you view your career with Barcelona?
Xavi: My dream was only to play for Barcelona, but I exceeded all my dreams and won all the titles I wished to.
Q: Will Barcelona struggle without you?
Xavi: Barcelona do not stand still and if one player goes, another one better than him comes in. This is the great secret of success of my beloved team, which is a mine of world football talent.
Q: How do you reflect on your international career?
Xavi: My international career was fantastic and I won four major titles, including the World Cup, a title sought by all football players.
Q: What impact did Spain’s early exit at the World Cup in Brazil last year have on you?
Xavi: Everyone suffered a big shock when we failed to get beyond the first round at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, but this is the way football is sometimes and the Spanish team is able to advance strongly.
Q: Do you think your former coach Pep Guardiola will ever return to Barcelona?
Xavi: Pep is an intelligent man, whom I worked with for a long period. I know he will choose the right time to return to Barcelona, because he’s part of the system initiated by Johan Cruyff about 30 years ago. He continued this method and style that still dazzles to this day, making players think before they receive the ball and have the ability to see all over the pitch. He and Cruyff, the Dutch legend, are the main reason for the achievements of Barcelona, which will continue for many generations.
Q: What do you think about the exit of your former Spain teammate, goalkeeper Iker Casillas, from Real Madrid?
Xavi: Casillas is my friend, a unique phenomenon and goalkeeping giant and I wish him well and I hope that people treat him as worthy of esteem. His exit from Real Madrid was not worthy of his name.
Q: You played with Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho. Who was better?
Xavi: Messi is the best player in football history and indisputably better than [Diego] Maradona and Pele, [Zinedine] Zidane and Ronaldinho. Messi has always made the difference [in a game] since he was 20 years old and still does. It is worth noting that football 30 years ago was much slower than it is now. Messi has managed to overcome all the developments in football since 2006 and perform miracles, therefore in my view he is the best player in the history of the game.
Q: What about Cristiano Ronaldo?
Xavi: He is a very good, wonderful player.
Q: What were your best and worst moments at Barcelona?
Xavi: The best moment in my life was winning the treble with Barcelona last season and the worst moment was in the seasons between 2002 and 2004, when the team suffered much criticism and did not win any trophies.
Q: Who do you think is the best Arab player currently?
Xavi: Egypt’s Mohmmad Aboutrika is a very special player, as well as the former Borussia Dortmund player Mohammad Zidan. I saw them play for Egypt at the Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009 and they gave wonderful performances.
Q: How will you help Qatar prepare for the 2022 World Cup?
Xavi: I’d firstly like to thank the Qatari people and all those who helped give me the chance to play in Qatar and I hope to meet everyone’s expectations. I am happy to participate in the preparation for the 2022 World Cup and I think that we have a lot of work to do in order to make the world know that Qatar is a wonderful country.
Q: What is your advice to young footballers?
Xavi: I would advise young players from the age of 10 to 15 to enjoy the ball and concentrate on fun and learning. Between the ages of 15 and 20 when they enter the professional stages, it’s important to learn good eating and sleeping habits and focus and work hard to make the best of what you have in training.
Q: What will you do when you hang up your boots?
Xavi: I will never leave football. I will work in football as a coach or manager, but I have not decided which yet.
