Xavi Hernandez has announced his decision to step down as Barcelona manager at the end of the season, LCSoccerHub Reports.
The Barcelona legend made this known after Barcelona suffered a shock 3-5 La Liga defeat to Villarreal.
In a quote shared by Fabrizio Romano, the 44-year-old Culer said;
“I will leave Barcelona in June”.
“We have reached a point of no return. It’s time for change. As a Culé, I think that it’s time to leave”.
“I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June”.
🚨 Xavi: “I will leave Barcelona in June”.
“We have reached a point of no return. It's time for change. As a Culé, I think that it's time to leave”.
“I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June”. pic.twitter.com/PiT9gZItRQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 27, 2024
LCSoccerHub understands Xavi has been under pressure this season as Barcelona’s stuttering campaign continues. The Catalan giants’ hopes of a silverware this season is remote having lost the Super Cup final, crashed out of Copa Del Rey, and are miles away from defending the La Liga title.
Xavi led Barcelona to finish top of their Champions League group, booking a place in the next round of the competition. However, the club’s dwindling fortunes on the domestic scene has been a cause of concern.
The La Liga champions are third on La Liga table with 44 points, 10 points behind league leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid, after 21 games.
They have been written off the La Liga title race and are down the pecking order among clubs likely to challenge for the Champions League trophy this season.
With their silverware hopes fading into the clouds of a lingering dismal run, Xavi has plunged into a whirlpool of constant backlash from the media and fans.
It is understood Barcelona hierarchy led by the club’s president Joan Laporta and director Deco have retained confidence on Xavi despite his his wanting benchmarks.
However, the 44-year-old’s tenure was obviously subject to the faith of the media and fans, who are grappling to come to terms with the club’s dwindling fortunes under his watch.
Xavi has a year remaining on his Barcelona contract but will be expected to leave at the end of the season, as per his announcement.
He led the club to the La Liga and Super Cup titles in the 2022/23 season and will hope to take up a new challenge as he braces to exit the club’s dugout in June 2024.
