Football Special Report: Player Profile – Xavi Hernandez (Part 1)
Xavi Hernandez is definitely one of those midfielders who can be called “the best” in the world, at the moment. He might not be as quick as Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo but he has changed the course of many games by his amazing skills and has become the favourite of many.
Coaches from all around the world, football experts and even his team mates just stand in awe when Xavi is at the top of his game. The Barcelona man can do wonders with the ball once he is on the pitch, as he organizes the team and plays effortless with simplicity and calmness. He flows along with the rhythm of the game as he moves around the pitch and passes the ball fabulously.
The Spanish midfielder is so consistent when it comes to being in-form and fitness, and this consistency is what has made him a star for his country, Spain and his club, Barcelona. Xavi suffered an injury in 2006 and had a totally injury plagued season that year but since then he has played 54 games for Barcelona in almost every year. Last season, Xavi played 53 matches for the Catalan club and he even featured for his country 17 times. The 30 year old Spaniard has played 70 matches during his run in the 2009-2010 seasons.
His fitness is simply amazing, as he covers more ground than any other player, and he plays the role of a midfielder and runs around the field to assist other players.
The little mastermind does not get to rest much during the summer break because of the fact that he is always committed during them. He helped Spain win the Euro 2008 title and since then he has featured for his country in all competitions that they played. The competitions include; the Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup 2010. The games played for the Catalan giants, Barcelona, cannot be put aside as well, as he played in all the games during Barcelona’s amazing 6-trophy-winning run in 2009-2010 seasons.
One of his most amazing performances in the previous season was definitely against Inter Milan during the ground stages of the Champions League. Even though he did not manage to score in any of the games (home or away), he still showed the world that the game is not only about scoring goals but also about passing the ball around. He totally pulled the strings deep in the midfield, as he tried to make great passes inside the 18 yard box to help his strikers with scoring goals.
During his run in the La Liga, he was simply untouchable. The opponents struggled while he was at his best throughout the term. His best display was definitely against Real Madrid, when his team won the match 2-0 and both the goals were assisted by him. The result was very vital, as it helped Barcelona in winning the La Liga title. It was Barcelona’s fourth trophy in the 2009-2010 seasons, as they already won the FIFA Club World Cup along with the UEFA Supercup and the Spanish Supercup.
Talking about personal awards, Xavi was able to finish third in the “player of the year” award. Moreover, for two years in a row, Xavi was the top assist man with 14 assists in the La Liga and 19 assists in all competitions. In the final 14 games of the season, Xavi was able to assist 10 times his team showed great form, along with him, to win the title.
With an amazing league campaign under his belt, fans had great expectations from Xavi when he went off to the FIFA World Cup 2010. People thought that he might pick up another golden ball just like Euro 2008, when Spain won and the fans saw his amazing performance throughout the tournament.
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