Xavier Hernández Creus was born in Terrassa in 1980 and joined Barcelona's La Masia academy at 11.
Xavier Hernández Creus was born in Terrassa in 1980 and joined Barcelona's La Masia academy at 11. 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.
Champions League 2006, 2009, 2011, 2015
Career Honours
- 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