Xavi not ready to quit Spain
Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez says that he is not yet ready to give up playing for his country.
Several media outlets had speculated that, with the 30-year-old suffering from the effects of tendinitis, he would retire from the Spain national team in order to prolong his career with the Catalan giants.
However, the midfielder has claimed that such claims are well wide of the mark. He told reporters that: “I take this opportunity to say that everything else has been false.
“I do not know where they are coming from with those things. It is a lie that I want to leave the national team.”
Though Xavi has played twelve games for his club this season, two of those appearances were from the bench while he was also substituted in several games. He may also be forced to miss the La Liga clash with Getafe on Sunday, 7 November, after Barcelona doctors
recommended that he be rested for the game as a result of his condition.
Meanwhile, the 2010 FIFA World Cup winner said that the challenge facing Barcelona as they attempt to hang on to the Spanish championship for a third successive year was a large one, as title rivals Real Madrid have improved dramatically since Jose Mourinho
took over in the summer.
'We are playing at a very high intensity'
He added that: “I think that we are playing at a very high intensity, and we are calm, because we believe that this season can be good.
“I am convinced that Madrid will fight for every title until the end, but I think we are playing at a very high level.”
Xavi has been at the centre of Barcelona’s huge success over the last few years, helping them to win several league titles, four Spanish Super Cups and the UEFA Champions League twice.
He has also won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and UEFA 2008 European Football Championship with Spain.
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