BARCELONA legend Xavi has admitted his dream to manage Barcelona just as pressure begins to mount on current boss Ronald Koeman.
The Catalans were humiliated this week in the Champions League as they were thrashed 4-1 at home by Paris Saint-Germain.
Xavi has opened the door to a return to BarcelonaCredit: Getty
Time could be running out for Barca boss Ronald KoemanCredit: Getty
That was the latest blow to Barca in what has turned out to be an awful season by their standards.
Koeman only took charge last summer but instantly caused upset by offloading Luis Suarez and several other favourites, which is one of the reasons Lionel Messi tried to force a move away.
The club are also in a precarious situation financially amid the coronavirus pandemic as well as in the midst of a presidential election.
And to top off all of the above, their LaLiga title hopes are in tatters as they sit nine points behind leaders Atletico Madrid.
The PSG embarrassment heaped even more scrutiny on Dutchman Koeman as he looks set to end the campaign without any silverware.
And with the prospect of losing Messi to either Manchester City or PSG in June, Barca presidential candidate Victor Font has already made it clear he would axe Koeman and replace him with Xavi.
The 41-year-old played 767 times for Barcelona between 1998 and 2015 and won 133 caps for the Spanish national team.
Xavi lifted eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns and four Champions League trophies during his time at the Nou Camp as a player.
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Now the icon, who currently manages Qatari side Al Sadd, has thrown the door open to a Barca return.
He said: “Right now, I’m at Al Sadd and I’m doing well here. I’m at a big club in Asia, in Qatar. It’s the best team in Qatar.
“We’ll see what happens in the future. Everyone sees me as a Barcelona coach, and I really respect Barcelona and Koeman, the current head coach.
“I don’t want to hide the truth – of course I would like to be Barcelona’s head coach. I’ve said it many times.
“But I will always respect the presiding coach and the club. I wish them the best of course.
“I’ve been a Barcelona fan as long as I can remember. There’s an upcoming presidential election, so let’s see which candidate wins…”
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Furious fans chant ‘Xavi out!’ as Barcelona legend is turned on by Al Sadd supporters
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
