8th November, 2021
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola was among the guests who witnessed the unveiling of Barcelona new coach Xavi Hernandez.
Guardiola who arrived Barcelona on Saturday played golf with Barcelona President Juan Laporta on Sunday.
The City coach played alongside Xavi at Barcelona and also coached Xavi at the club.
The unveiling a ceremony in Camp Nou was witnessed by close to 99,000 fans on Monday.
Xavi walked out to chants of “Xavi, Xavi” before signing his contract on the pitch, alongside his family and Barca president Joan Laporta.
While speaking during an interview after his unveiling, Xavi said Barcelona can’t accept draws or defeat.
“This is the biggest club in the world and I’m going to work hard to reach your expectations. Barcelona can’t accept a draw or a defeat.
“We have to win all the games,” he said.
“I come prepared. My DNA didn’t change. We need to take charge, have the ball, create opportunities, be intense. We have a mission to rescue many things that were lost.”
“We have to start with new rules that are going to be strict. It’s not a matter of being tough, it’s about having norms,” he said.
“When we had norms in the locker room, things were good, when we didn’t, it went bad. So, we need to have order. Being professionals.”
“It’s a medium to long-term project but we’ll need to work really hard to find the results. The expectation and the demand will be the highest. No excuses will be made or accepted.”
Xavi is the first Barca coach to be presented on the pitch in front of fans at the 99,000-capacity stadium, with the routine usually only reserved for the club’s biggest signings.
The 41-year-old returned as coach, six years after he left Barcelona.