Xavi Hernández

Spain's quarterback who completed more passes than any other player at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, winning both tournaments plus Euro 2012 while driving Barcelona to four Champions League titles with a tiki-taka system built around his vision.

Xavi Hernández made 767 appearances for Barcelona across 17 seasons, second only to Lionel Messi in the club's history, and in 133 appearances for Spain won the 2010 World Cup and back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012 — the only national team to win three consecutive major international titles. He made his first-team debut in 1998 and spent 17 seasons there (1998–2015), making 767 appearances — second only to Messi in the club's history — scoring 85 goals and providing 232 assists. He moved to Al Sadd (2015–2019) to wind down his career. In 133 appearances for Spain he scored 13 goals and provided 96 assists, winning the World Cup (2010) and Euros (2008, 2012) — the only country to win three consecutive major international titles. His 91% pass accuracy and 10.9 km covered per game made him the engine of his era. His 328 total career assists across 903 appearances reflect his extraordinary vision. He won 8 La Liga titles, 4 Champions Leagues and 6 Copa del Reys. He won more than 150 caps for Spain. His top speed of 28.4 km/h was never his asset — his positioning, first touch and ability to play in tight spaces at tempo were. He returned as Barcelona manager in 2021, winning La Liga in 2023. He won 33 major trophies across his career.

Deep-lying playmaker with exceptional vision, passing accuracy, and tactical intelligence

Redefined the central midfielder role and epitomized possession-based football

• Champions League 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
• La Liga 8x
• Copa del Rey 6x
• FIFA World Cup 2010
• UEFA Euro 2008, 2012
• FIFA Club World Cup 3x

Club Career

Club	Period	Apps	Goals	Shirt
Barcelona B	1997–1999	55	3	#6
Barcelona	1998–2015	505	58	#6
Al Sadd	2015–2019	82	20	#6
Spain	—	133	13	—