Xavi Hernandez; The architect
Xavi is a Spanish international who plays for Barcelona. He has achieved every possible team accolade. Many believe he is the best midfielder in the world right now.
Xavi was instrumental in his team’s success at the 2008 UEFA Euro championship and was named in the team of the tournament. His performances earned him a nomination for both FIFA world player of the year and European player of the year. He repeated his Euro
performance in the 2010 FIFA world cup and guided his team to their 1st ever world cup triumph. He has again been nominated for the FIFA and European player of the year awards and is amongst the hot favorites.
His club form is nothing short of spectacular as well. Be it the UEFA Champions League, the Spanish cup, the La Liga or the FIFA world club championship; Xavi has won it all. More recently he was named man of the match in his team’s 5-0 drubbing of arch
rivals Real Madrid.
Xavi is a graduate of the famed, Barcelona youth academy. Like most players from the academy, he has wonderful ball control and technique. Pep Guordiolla (current Barcelona manager) once reported to have said that, when he 1st
saw Xavi play in training, he thought his playing days were numbered at Barca as he used to play in the same position as Xavi. Eventually both Pep and Xavi ended up playing together before Pep retired.
Xavi plays the role of the architect. He is a playmaker blessed with eagle like vision and can pick his team mates out very efficiently. His understanding with players like Iniesta, Messi and others, is almost telepathic, therefore in his presence allows
Barcelona to be unstoppable.
He is a delight to watch, a true football genius. His 1st touch is immaculate, allowing him more time on the ball. He is the mastermind behind most attacks his team conjures up. He has a very low centre of gravity that enables him to turn defenders
rather easily. Xavi is never hurried when he is on the ball and seems to have plenty of time up his sleeve, even when surrounded by 3 or 4 defenders.
He is a very consistent performer. Year in year out, he has one of the highest number of assists. Most flamboyant players are guilty of losing possession but Xavi very rarely does so. He can single handidly control a whole football match. It as if he has
a string attached to his feet enabling him to keep the ball in close proximity.
Along with all his other rather enviable attributes, Xavi also has a very good shot. He very rarely misses the target and has a very measured strike. Over the years, he has scored some very spectacular goals from long range. He is also very clever when making
runs into the box. His goal scoring tally at the end of each season suggests, he gets into very good goal scoring positions. Not only he creates goals but also scores a lot. Another surprising aspect for such a talented player is that he is very hard working
and will put his body on the line for the team’s cause.
Xavi is a player every team would love to have. It is highly unlikely that he would move to any other club thought, as he is Barcelona through and through.
If the last 3 years are anything to go by, then it is fair to say that Xavi is the best midfielder on the planet. His brilliance can set the game alight, his vision can destroy the opposition defense, his shot can win the match and his passion can get the
crowd involved. Xavi Hernandez truly is a legend of the game. His name will remain in football folklore forever. He is the most exquisite “architect” in world football.
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