After 5-3 loss against Villarreal, Xavi announces he will leave Barcelona at end of season

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez has announced that he will step down from the role at the end of the season following a 5-3 loss against Villarreal at Camp Nou and described the job “cruel and unpleasant.”

“I’d like to announce that as of June 30 I will not continue as Barca coach,” he told reporters in the press conference after meeting with club president Joan Laporta for over half an hour.

“It is a situation of common sense and I have decided that on June 30th I will not continue as Barca coach.

“I think the club needs a change of dynamic and I told the president Joan Laporta. As a fan, thinking about the club and the players, I think they will be freed up and will be calmer.

“I think the best thing to do is to leave on June 30th. Having said that, I will give my all for the four months that are left, I think we can have a good season and I hope that the dynamic will change. I believe I am doing the right thing.”

Here's what Xavi said as he announced that was leaving Barça at the end of the season: pic.twitter.com/Pj4LWLYtTo

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Barcelona are third in the table on 44 points, 10 behind leaders Real Madrid and eight adrift of second-placed Girona.

“You often feel there is lack of respect, you feel that your work is not appreciated,” Xavi said.

“It wears you down terribly, in terms of health, of mental health, your mood, your emotional state. I am a positive guy but the energy goes down, down, down, until the point at which you say: it makes no sense. It makes no sense to continue. That’s how I explain it.

“I decided it some time ago; the people closest to me know. It’s a situation that I think affects the club now. It affects me but when it affects the club I think I have to leave.”

Barcelona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey with a 4-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao in midweek. That result followed a 4-1 loss at the hands of Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. They had also conceded four to Girona just before Christmas.

“This decision will help free up the team,” he said.

Xavi played for Barcelona for 17 years, making 767 appearances and winning 25 trophies, including four Champions League titles and eight LaLiga crowns. Xavi took over from Ronald Koeman in November 2021 and led Barcelona to the league title last year, in his first full season.

“The situation needs to change and as a cule I can’t allow this. I took this decision days ago, but it is time to make it public. I don’t want to be a problem for the club.

“I am thinking about the club, the good of the players, and the directors. As a club man, I think the best thing to do is go on 30 June.

“I will give my best in these four months; I still think we can complete a great season. I take this decision calmly; it’s common sense.”

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