Xavi leaves Barca after 24 years of association

Barca captain will leave Nou Camp this summer to play for a Qatari team.

Xavi at a press conference on May 21. Photo: Reuters.

On the afternoon of May 21, Xavi held a press conference to announce his decision to leave the Catalan club. This was expected based on recent rumors that the midfielder could go to the US or the Middle East to play football.

Xavi joined the La Masia academy at the age of 11. Over the past 24 years, the star wearing the number 6 shirt has continuously improved and become an icon of the art of passing the ball in the red and blue stripes.

"It was a difficult decision to leave Barca. The club offered me a contract extension with very attractive conditions, but I think it's time to leave. I want to extend my playing time but I also understand that I should play at a lower level," Xavi said at a press conference.

After leaving Barca, Xavi will play for Al Sadd (Qatar) from this summer. The two sides have agreed on a two-year contract with an option to extend for another year.

"In addition to continuing to play football, I hope to develop more coaching experience and work as a sporting director at Al Sadd," Xavi revealed his future direction.

Xavi had a great career at Barca with 8 La Liga titles, 2 King's Cups and 3 Champions Leagues. Photo: Reuters

In fact, Xavi intended to move to Al Sadd since last summer. The midfielder only stayed because Barca needed a pillar to play a leadership role in the first year of coach Luis Enrique's reign.

"I'm happy to play for Barca this season. I also feel useful even though I don't play regularly. Barca have a great chance to win the treble and we can make history," said Xavi.

This weekend, Barca will play their final match of the 2014-2015 Liga season against Deportivo. This is just a formality match as the giants have already won the championship from the previous round.

On May 30, Barca will play the King's Cup final against Bilbao at the Nou Camp. After that, the team will travel to Berlin (Germany) to play the Champions League final against Juventus on June 6.

According to VNE