Football Special Report: Player Profile – Xavi Hernandez
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 cause 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.
Even though there were huge expectations from him, the opponents would throw players at him to mark him down, as he would always be covered throughout the match. With at least two men surrounding him throughout the tournament, Xavi was still able to give satisfactory performance during the FIFA World Cup 2010 but he was overshadowed by his Spanish team mates David Villa and Andres Iniesta.
He played more passes than any other player during the tournament. He made a new record of playing the most passes ever in a FIFA World Cup and the thing that separates him from every other midfielder is the fact that he completes most of his passes. During the FIFA World Cup 2010, Xavi was able to give 669 passes and he completed 554 of them. He was able to provide the most number of passes and he crossed the ball inside the 18 yard box more than any other player performing in that tournament. He also covered a lot of distance on the pitch, but it was just a little less than the German defensive midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Xavi was able to run 80.20 kilometres throughout the competitions, which means that at average he approximately ran 11.46 kilometres in each game. This was just less than Bastian Shweinsteiger, who actually ran 82.60 kilometres throughout the FIFA World Cup 2010 and many applauded him for that fact.
Xavi Hernandez, even though he is not the person who scores the goals for his team, he is still a joy to watch during the match. His performances are remarkable and he can do wonders with the ball when he is once on it. There are many experts who say that this man would do anything to get the ball to his team mates, so that they can make better use of it. According to his club coach, Josep Pep Guardiola, Xavi Hernandez is the best midfielder in the world. Xavi Hernandez is 30 years old and is enjoying the “peak time” of his career. He is not only an amazing midfielder; in fact, he is one of those Barcelona players who have won all the trophies that are available to him.
There are a few things that Xavi says and they totally change the “meaning” of his position. Xavi Hernandez once said:
“No matter how big or small a player is, he loves to keep the ball. But there is one player in the team who does not really like to keep the ball to him and he passes it on to his team mates. That player is known as a centre midfielder.”
This quote would definitely change the mind of many centre midfielders because there are many midfielders who like to carry the ball to the front so that they can score themselves. These players include names such as the legendary French man Zinedine Zidanne and even the recent Dutch sensation Wesley Sneijder.
Xavi Hernandez is definitely a name that is to be written in the books, he is currently one of the best midfielders in the world, and the way he plays football, there is simply no comparison.
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