Latest news with #Xavi
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Thierry Henry details fallout with club legend immediately after he quit Arsenal
Thierry Henry arrived at Barcelona as an Arsenal legend but was quickly brought back down to earth by club legend Xavi, who took issue with the Frenchman questioning the team's motto Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has revealed how he clashed with Xavi when he joined Barcelona after questioning their club motto. The Frenchman will go down as one of the greatest forwards in recent history after winning almost every major trophy in football and scoring 366 times. The biggest move of his career came when he signed for Barcelona in 2007-08, having become a legend at Arsenal across eight seasons, helping them win two Premier League titles and three FA Cups after netting 226 goals in 370 appearances. But he was quickly brought down to earth shortly after he arrived at Barcelona by new team-mate Xavi, who told him to "shut up and work" when Henry mocked their slogan "mes que un club", which translate to "more than a club". Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he revealed: "When I joined Barcelona, I was upset as I was the new one on the block - people are having a go at you more than the guy that won before, which I understand but it does wind you up. "I always remember, I was with Samuel Eto'o, we're going up the stairs at the Camp Nou, and I'm looking at the Més que un club. I'm talking to Samuel Eto'o, and I said 'Mes que un club? Come on man'. "Xavi was behind me, and I didn't see he was behind me. He goes 'Oi – what did you say?' He said, 'Don't talk about my club like this, you've never won anything here. Shut up, work, and when you win something one day, you can talk about it.' "I looked at him at that moment, he was well within his rights for me to understand what it was – because I didn't know what it was. Now I know what it is, because I lost there, I won there, I understood what the club meant and what it means. "This is why the club is what the club is, because Xavi passed it onto me at that moment. I didn't say anything back, and it's not like me to not have the last word, but I looked at him and said sorry. "With Barcelona, they will all hammer you with what the club is. Anyone who went to La Masia, anyone who won there, they will talk about to you, they will pass it on, because they believe in it, because they have a duty, they have a way of playing, you like it, or you don't. They are proud of what they do, and proud of the club – but it's nice to have people around the club like that." Henry did not enjoy one of his most clinical seasons during his first year at Barcelona. He played 30 times in La Liga but scored just 12 - with 19 in all competitions - though he did win the treble of the title, Copa del Rey and Champions League. His second second at the Nou Camp was much better for him personally, scoring 26 goals in total and winning La Liga once again. In his third campaign, Henry picked up fewer minutes as stars like Pedro began to challenge his position and he scored just four times in all competitions. Henry left Barca in 2010 and would finish his career with New York Red Bulls in the MLS, where he netted 52 times in 135 outings. Arsenal fans will also cherish his brief loan spell back with the Gunners in the 2011-12 season, where he scored twice in seven appearances. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neymar, funk and special braids: Xavi Simons on his ties to Brazil
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. Xavi Simons doesn't even need to be interviewed to make his admiration for Brazil evident. Advertisement The Dutch player's braids have been given a special design for RB Leipzig's tour in São Paulo, displaying the letters 'BR'. His affection for the country was built over his football career and, before reaching the visual on his head, it passed through his relationship with Neymar and funk music. Xavi also doesn't hide that he is a fan of Santos' number 10, whom he will have the opportunity to face in a friendly match scheduled for this Wednesday (28), in Bragança Paulista. "As I always say when I give interviews, it was he who inspired me when I was young. He was my idol, he is my idol. Playing with him at PSG was a dream come true and obviously now playing with him on Wednesday will be special," he said during a press conference in São Paulo. Advertisement The Dutchman met Neymar when he was still going through the youth categories at Barcelona. Later, the two were teammates at PSG. He saw me when I was a child at Barcelona. We did a commercial together, for me it was a dream. This guy has already won everything and still has the hunger to try to do his best daily Xavi Simons Even before facing Santos, he already had the chance to admire another Brazilian with a stint at PSG. Xavi watched the match between Red Bull Bragantino and Juventude for the Brasileirão from the stadium and left there with a shirt from the forward Nenê, currently at the club from Rio Grande do Sul. He recorded the moment with a photo published on social networks accompanied by a simple and direct caption: "Legend". His identification with Brazilian culture can also be explained by his family background, neighboring Brazilian territory. Advertisement The RB Leipzig player was born in Amsterdam, but has family in Suriname, a former Dutch colony that borders the states of Pará and Amapá, in the north of the country. "I have a similar culture. My family comes from Suriname and it's kind of the live football with a beautiful passion. Our country is also about football. Children dream of playing in big stadiums and being the best in the world," he compared. "The [Brazilian] food is very similar to that of my homeland, Suriname. That's why I love it," he said. But, for funk to reach his playlists, the influence of some Brazilian and Portuguese friends throughout his career as a player was necessary. "I played with many Brazilian and Portuguese players. They introduced me to this music and, since then, I really like it and listen to it daily," he commented. Advertisement On the field, Xavi is another player who was given a chance to grow at Leipzig and met expectations, becoming a protagonist of the team. In the last two editions of the Bundesliga, he was directly involved in 42 of the team's goals, scoring 24 and providing 18 assists. Only Belgian Lois Openda has a better number (52) than him for RB Leipzig in the same period, with the Dutchman playing ten fewer games. The difference in the number of matches mainly came in the season that ended this month. An ankle injury kept Xavi out of action for eight rounds of the German Championship. "I was injured for two months for the first time in my life. It was a difficult time for me and my family. I tried to recover as quickly as possible to help the team, because obviously the situation was not good," he lamented. Advertisement The situation did not end well in the Bundesliga for Leipzig, which finished the championship in seventh, without securing a spot for any European competition. Now recovered from the physical problems, the expectation is that the Dutchman will take the field this Wednesday against Santos, possibly meeting his idol Neymar on the pitch again.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Neymar, funk and unique braids: Xavi Simons on his Brazilian connections
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. Xavi Simons doesn't even need to be interviewed to make his admiration for Brazil evident. The braids in the Dutch player's hair received a special design for RB Leipzig's tour in São Paulo, displaying the letters 'BR'. Who dis? 🤔 🇧🇷 — RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) May 24, 2025 The affection for the country was built throughout his football career and, before reaching the hairstyle, it went through his relationship with Neymar and funk music. Xavi also doesn't hide that he is a fan of Santos' number 10, whom he will have the opportunity to face in a friendly match scheduled for this Wednesday (28), in Bragança Paulista. "As I always say in interviews, he was the one who inspired me when I was young. He was my idol, he is my idol. Playing with him at PSG was a dream come true and obviously now playing with him on Wednesday will be special," he stated during a press conference in São Paulo. The Dutchman met Neymar while still in Barcelona's youth categories. Later, the two were teammates at PSG. He saw me when I was a kid at Barcelona. We did a commercial together, for me it was a dream. This guy has already won everything and still has the hunger to try to do his best daily Xavi SimonsEven before facing Santos, he already had the chance to meet another Brazilian who played for PSG. Xavi watched the match between Red Bull Bragantino and Juventude in the Brasileirão from the stadium and left with a shirt from the forward Nenê, currently at the Gaucho club. He captured the moment with a photo posted on social media accompanied by a simple and direct caption: "Legend". His connection with Brazilian culture can also be explained by his family origin, which borders Brazilian territory. The RB Leipzig player was born in Amsterdam but has family in Suriname, a former Dutch colony. "I have a similar culture. My family comes from Suriname and it's kind of the same... we live football with a beautiful passion. Our country is also about football. Children dream of playing in big stadiums and being the best in the world," he compared. "The [Brazilian] food is very similar to that of my homeland, Suriname. That's why I love it," he said. But for funk to reach his playlists, it required the influence of some Brazilian and Portuguese friends throughout his career as a player. "I played with many Brazilian and Portuguese players. They introduced me to this music and since then I like it a lot and listen to it daily," he commented. On the field, Xavi is another player who got a chance to grow at Leipzig and met expectations, becoming a key player for the team. In the last two Bundesliga seasons, he was directly involved in 42 goals for the team, with 24 goals and 18 assists. Only the Belgian Lois Openda has a better number (52) than him for RB Leipzig in the same period, with the Dutchman playing ten fewer games. The difference in the number of matches came mainly in the season that ended this month. An ankle injury sidelined Xavi for eight rounds of the German Championship. "I was injured for two months for the first time in my life. It was a difficult period for me and my family. I tried to recover as quickly as possible to help the team because obviously the situation wasn't good," he lamented. The situation didn't end well for Leipzig in the Bundesliga, as they finished the championship in seventh, failing to secure a spot in any European competition. Now recovered from physical problems, the expectation is that the Dutchman will take the field this Wednesday against Santos, possibly reuniting with his idol Neymar on the pitch.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Barcelona review of 2024-25: Hansi Flick's great entertainers are just getting started
What a season it has been for Barcelona. From the traumatic exit of club legend Xavi as coach to financial problems with registering new signings, few could have anticipated new arrival Hansi Flick experiencing this much success last summer. Instead, the German has led Barca to league, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles while taking the Catalans back to the top of Spanish football. They reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since Lionel Messi was at the club, narrowly losing a chaotic tie against Inter. Here, our Barcelona correspondent Pol Ballus analyses the campaign. The year we witnessed one of the most entertaining Barcelona sides ever assembled, if not the most entertaining. Many title-winning sides in La Liga have been forgettable, but that will not be true of Flick's team. Their daring approach, a radical high line, a relentless counter-press and an impressive ability to produce 'remontadas' (comebacks) have made this Barca team a treat to watch. Advertisement Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid after extra time, Copa del Rey final. A rollercoaster of a game that earned Barca their first major title of the season against their arch-rivals. It was far from their best performance — they produced a solid first half but experienced a meltdown after the break. The team's reaction to that is what made this game so remarkable. With a late fightback capped by an unlikely extra-time winner from right-back Jules Kounde, you could not write a better script. Lamine Yamal vs Espanyol — the strike that sealed the title for Barca. Although it was seriously difficult choosing between this one and the effort the 17-year-old scored in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals against Inter. Both of those were perfect examples of Yamal's trademark move. He received the ball on the right-hand side, created the space he needed by himself with a couple of body feints and cut onto his left before letting fly. Unstoppable. The power and placement Yamal produced to score against Espanyol make this goal the standout. Lamine Yamal's work of art. 🖼️#EspanyolBarça | #LaLigaHighlights — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 16, 2025 Barca's fourth consecutive Clasico win with a 4-3 victory at Montjuic, which represented the culmination of their clear superiority against their rivals over the year — and also put them seven points clear of Madrid in La Liga with nine left to play for. Madrid landed straight after Barca's heartbreak in Milan just five days before. That had an impact as Madrid went ahead by two goals from Kylian Mbappe, but the way the Catalans tore into their rivals after that was impressive. It was especially sweet for fans, given they were witnessing the end of a Madrid era under Carlo Ancelotti and the beginning of a new one for their young team. Advertisement Their 5-4 win against Benfica in the new-look league stage of the Champions League in January. Of the nine comebacks Barca have pulled off this season, this was the craziest. They had been losing by a two-goal margin with 12 minutes to go and their place in the top eight seeds of the competition was at stake. Robert Lewandowski pulled one back from the penalty spot before unexpected hero Eric Garcia equalised with four minutes to go. Benfica had a chance to win in extra time but could not finish. While the Portuguese team claimed a penalty, Ferran Torres set up Raphinha with a long ball on the break for the Brazilian to score a 96th-minute winner. What on earth was that? 'Fear while playing the game? I left all my fears in the park of my neighbourhood, back in Mataro, a while ago.' That was Yamal in his first Barca press conference, when asked whether he was afraid of the huge expectations mounting around him and his rapid rise to stardom. It was a day before the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Inter and the two performances he went on to produce make this quote even more outrageous. Raphinha and Garcia deserve special mentions but few expected Inigo Martinez to be so influential. Four days before Barca's La Liga opener at Valencia in August, the centre-back was not even registered. Club sources, who asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, spent the whole summer saying they would be open to the then-33-year-old leaving if he found an appealing project elsewhere. Nine months later, Martinez is firmly established as Barca's defensive general. He acts and behaves like a captain despite not wearing the armband and his adaptation to Flick's high line has been remarkable, building a great relationship with 18-year-old Pau Cubarsi. Advertisement Wojciech Szczesny, the smoker — and his chilled-out attitude in general. When the 35-year-old goalkeeper came out of retirement to join Barca in October after Marc-Andre ter Stegen's serious knee injury, there were questions about his. Szczesny has said in past interviews that he is a regular smoker, but what seemed like a potential flaw has turned the 'keeper into a cult hero. Two months ago, Montjuic celebrated one of Szczesny's saves by chanting 'Szczesny fumador' — Szczesny the smoker. Even Flick finally jumped on the joke this month when he was asked about Szcezsny's personality. 'I've never had a character like him,' Flick said. 'Sometimes he smokes a bit, but that's how he is. He is at the right age and makes him more relaxed!' Szczesny lived up to his managers' words during the title celebrations, smoking a cigar during the open-top bus parade through the streets of Barcelona. My kind of town, Barcelona is. — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 15, 2025 Yann Sommer (Inter). Yamal's performances in that Champions League semi-final will not be forgotten, but neither should Sommer's saves. The Switzerland goalkeeper is the reason Barca did not make the final. His seven saves, five from inside the box, in the return leg will continue to give Barca fans nightmares. His stops registered a 'goals prevented' figure of 0.93 (based on expected shots on target, xGOT). Nine — it cannot be lower than that. The one point left is for the Champions League, the missing piece in a coveted treble, which would have been the club's third. But it is also proof of this team's potential to improve, which is a great thing for the club to aspire to. Flick has brought excitement back to Barca fans, which very few expected when he joined last summer. The long-awaited return to Camp Nou. The club need to get back to their iconic home ground after its extensive renovations to keep improving their finances — and it will help decide who they can sign this summer. Last January, Barca sold a share of their future VIP seating in the stadium to get to what La Liga calls the 1:1 rule — meaning they can register players without restrictions. Advertisement But with the stadium yet to be completed and the VIP seats not built, Barca's audit company Crowe did not allow them to count the money from the sale in this season's accounts. Barca need to have the ground and the seats built so that they can include the income from the VIP seats in their budget and operate as normal in the transfer market. Do Barca really need a classic No 9 to replace Lewandowski? At 36, and with next season being the last on his current deal, the summer of 2026 will be the obvious time to be moving on from the Poland striker, even if he finished this campaign as La Liga's second top scorer with 27 goals. But do Barca really need an old-school striker? Without Lewandowski, the Catalans scored six goals in two games against Inter, as well as seven in their last two Clasicos. Torres operated as a No 9 on all those occasions and scored an impressive 19 goals while providing seven assists in a backup role. Torres might not be a world-class player but his link-up play, relentlessness in the counter-press and off-the-ball movement, which creates spaces team-mates, should be a lesson for any new striker Barca bring in.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Xavi Hernandez ready to delay managerial return to 2026
Former Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez is not expected to return to a management position until at least 2026. The ex-midfielder has been out of the game since his departure from La Blaugrana in May 2024 after controversial end to his tenure. Advertisement Xavi led Barcelona to the La Liga title in his first full season in charge in 2022/23 but his final months in charge were filled with negativity. The 45-year-old has spoken openly about his eagerness to take on a new role but there still some lingering frustration over how it ended at Barcelona. 'There's no hurry for me, but I'd like a good project. Like, 'You have four years to work and make a project'. I'd love to work in the Premier League, I love the passion there. In Spain, it's too much about the result,' he told an interview with The Athletic. 'I'm ready to 'suffer' again, but I don't think I'll suffer more than I suffered at Barca. It was too emotional for me because I was a supporter, too.' Xavi's Premier League ambition for 2026 Xavi's comment on the Premier League reiterates the widely held view that England is his next destination – but he is happy to wait. Advertisement Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham could all potentially be in the market for a new manager this summer with reports from Diario AS indicating he will wait. Xavi Hernandez looks on from down the tunnel. All three hold a degree of uncertainty, with Ruben Amorim unable to make an impact at Old Trafford, and Ange Postecoglou's Europa League success could gift him a second chance at Spurs. International option for Xavi? The above report indicates Xavi was offered the chance to be Tite's assistant at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a view to replacing him as Brazil boss in 2023. That door is now obviously closed with Carlo Ancelotti taking charge of the Samba Boys – and Luis de la Fuente is enjoying a superb run as Spain boss – but the France and England jobs will be vacant after the 2026 World Cup.
