Adiós to one of the greats

The 2015-2016 season of the Liga BBVA will undoubtedly boast some of the best players around – but one will no longer be there, a man whose quality saw him shine at every ground in the top flight of Spanish football from 1998 on. That individual is Xavi Hernández, who after 17 campaigns with FC Barcelona has left Spain for Qatari outfit Al-Sadd.

In the process, the Liga BBVA loses one of its greatest midfielders. However, the memory of a legendary career replete with achievements, trophies and goals remains. Put simply, Xavi’s move signals the departure of the driving force behind a unique style of play, one that in many ways has changed the sport and has enabled Spanish football to occupy a position at the forefront of the world game.  

Such status certainly tallies with his medal collection. If sporting accomplishment is measured in terms of silverware, then Xavi holds a master’s degree with distinction. In 17 years in the Liga BBVA with Barça, where his total of 505 matches makes him los azulgranas’ highest league appearance-maker, he won 8 titles, 3 Copas del Rey and 6 Spanish Super Cups. It’s a record that ensures his spot among the domestic stage’s most significant players.

Also a legend in Europe

And, if we add Xavi’s figures in European and intercontinental football to those accrued in Spain, his global standing as one of the very best is only accentuated. In all competitions, the Catalan amassed a tally of 767 matches for Barça, a mammoth haul that means he pulled on the blaugrana shirt more times than any other in the club’s history. Four UEFA Champions Leagues, two European Super Cups, two Club World Cups and countless individual accolades complete a historic honours list that features 23 club trophies and makes him the most decorated Spanish footballer ever.

A Barça career full of great moments

Leaving the celebrations, cups and awards to one side, Xavi’s sporting career has brought a raft of moments that will always be logged in the guestbook of the Liga BBVA, in which he competed from the age of 18. He made his FC Barcelona debut on 18 August 1998 in the Spanish Super Cup against RCD Mallorca, a clash that in fact also witnessed his first goal for the club.

It was the first of many important goals for a man who made his Liga BBVA bow on 3 October that same year versus Valencia CF, on a matchday on which his side saw off los ché 1-3. 17 seasons and 505 games later, the many fantastic memories left behind by Xavi include a total of 58 league strikes, among which, for example, was the opener in Barcelona’s 5-0 victory over Real Madrid on 29 November 2010.

Xavi notched up his maiden goal in Spain’s top tier against R. Valladolid CF in week 15 of the 1998-99 campaign, in an encounter that ended 0-1 to Barça and, with then coach Louis van Gaal under mounting pressure, rescued the Dutchman’s job. He found the net at the Camp Nou for the first time in 2000, in the last 32 of the Copa del Rey against UD Almería, while his only brace came versus Málaga CF on 1 November 2008.

Another stand-out effort by Xavi in the Liga BBVA arrived on 28 April 2015, on matchday 34, when the midfielder hit his 85th and final goal for Barcelona against Getafe CF, in a match that saw his team come out on top 6-0.

In short, wonderful moments brought by an irreplaceable player whose ability and way of seeing the game mean he’ll always have his place in the history books. What the Liga BBVA has given Xavi, Xavi has given the Liga BBVA, in a symbiotic relationship in which both were the winners amid goals, success, entertainment and fantastic vision. It’s adiós to one of the greats. It’s adiós to Xavi Hernández.