The 42-year-old Spanish manager made his decision public after his team’s home defeat against Villareal last Saturday. The yellow submarine took a very important victory from the La Liga defending champion defeating them by a 5-3 goal margin.
After Saturday’s loss, Xavi said during the post-match conference, “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”.
After Xavi’s decision became public, there have been few moments regarding who would be the next manager of Barcelona. Many names are being linked to the club and few are being discussed at the board level as well.
According to Spanish media El Chiringuito TV Barcelona president Joan Laporta dreams of Pep Guardiola returning to his former club to replace outgoing Xavi. During his first reign as club president, it was Laporta himself, who took a bet on Guardiola by promoting him as first team manager without any experience from Barcelona youth coach.
However, it seems very difficult to see Guardiola as Barcelona manager next season as he has his contract with Manchester City till 2026. Former Bayern Munich manager started his coaching career in Barcelona when he managed the Catalan club from 2008 to 2012. During his spell at Barcelona, he won 14 trophies including 3 La Liga and 2 Champions League.
