Special Feature: Xavi Hernandez programmed to pass
What is a second in a game of 90 minutes? What is the value of a man in a population of over 6 billion? With a blink of his eye, he wins the 2010 FIFA World Cup. With a stroke of his right foot, the midfield maestro ushers his peers forward. With a wave
of his hand, he points towards vast spaces on green pastures. A tumble on the ground and 90,000 people hold their breath.
He picks himself up and initiates what can be a historic moment. He is no military man but all his moves are calculated and approximated to the finest degree. He is not a politician but his following is immense. Quietly working behind the scenes, subtlety
is his finest trait. Xavi Hernandez, the conductor of Barcelona’s orchestra and the architect of Spain’s dominance.
Football is glittered with dominant personalities, prima donnas and ruined talents. In a gargantuan sport, a few men get a rare chance to make their mark upon history. Xavi Hernandez is one of those men.
At the start of the decade, Xavi Hernandez was a breed that was quickly dying. Football was taking turn for the worse towards physicality rather than technique. It seemed odd that the sport that had been framed by the phrase “the world’s most beautiful game”
was turning towards a bestial nature.
Rewind to the 2006 UEFA Champions League final when Barcelona defeated Arsenal at Stade de http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899, Paris, a 26 year old midfielder sat on the bench and saw a Ronaldinho inspired Barcelona to a win over Arsene Wenger side. He might’ve wondered back then if
would ever get the chance to play for his home side on a regular basis.
His dream was being played out in front of him and everyone got to be a part of it apart from him. The feeling must’ve been heart wrenching and exhausting. When Puyol lifted the trophy at the end of the match, Xavi was celebrating but the Catalan born playmaker
was a man lost for words as well.
It was truly a defining moment for him. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ronaldinho-c31733’s demise as the main man for Barcelona was a blessing in disguise for Xavi. When Pep Guardiola took over at Barcelona following Frank Rijkaard’s dismissal, Barcelona’s new manager saw himself reincarnated
in Xavi’s form.
Ironically, Pep Guardiola used to play at the same position as Xavi during the 1990s as Barcelona’s main midfielder. Xavi’s career took off then as under Pep Guardiola, the Spanish national team star started most of Barcelona’s matches.
Not only that, Guardiola’s trust in Xavi gave birth to a new phenomenon. In the 2008-2009 UEFA Champions League final, Xavi gave a performance of a life time as he helped Barcelona to a historic win over Manchester United.
However, before the 2008-2009 club football season began, Xavi represented Spain at Euro 2008 and lit the tournament alight with his eagle eyed vision. In the final when http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Spain-c3011 won their penalty shootout against Germany, Xavi was awarded the title of being
the best player of the competition.
Additionally, International Federation of Football History & Statistics also declared Xavi Hernandez as the best playmaker in the world in 2008.
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Xavi led the Spanish national team to a legendary triumph in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/South-Africa-c757 against Holland in the final match of the tournament.
But his finest performance came against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Germany-c2904 in the semi-final of the tournament which saw him complete more passes than any other player on the field.
Not only that, he also proved that he is a hard worker by covering more distance than any other player in the match. In the 2010-2011 club football season, Xavi has already led Barcelona to a historic win over Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid.
As Barcelona’s tie against Arsenal approaches its due date, the midfield connoisseur is preparing for yet another football lecture. This time, it is Wenger’s job to contain this exponent of distribution and as history has showed that is seldom achieved with
marginal success. In his latest interview to the British media, Xavi said that he is a romantic.
One can't help but wonder that his followers are enchanted by the symphony of his two feet dictating midfield traffic with utmost ease.
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