“I’ll be with you until death, coach” - Barcelona superstar reacts emotionally as Xavi announces his departure
Barcelona midfielder Gavi has reacted to manager Xavi Hernandez announcing his departure from the club at the end of the season.
Barca lost 5-3 against Villarreal at the Estadio Lluis Olimpic Companys in La Liga on Saturday, January 27. As a result, they are third in the standings, 10 points behind leaders and arch-rivals Real Madrid.
After the game, Xavi announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, saying (via GOAL):
"I will leave Barcelona in June. We have reached a point of no return. It's time for change. As a Culé, I think that it's time to leave. I spoke with the board and the club today. I will leave on the 30th of June.
“I took this decision days ago. I already knew it. But it’s time to make it public. I think the players could not free themselves up. I don’t want to be a problem for the club, but the opposite...”
After this announcement, midfielder Gavi shared a picture with Xavi on his Instagram story with the caption:
"I will always be with you until death, coach."
Gavi, 19, made his senior debut for Barcelona just a few months before Xavi's appointment. He has made 97 appearances across competitions under the Spanish manager and also contributed seven goals and 13 assists.
The youngster is currently out injured due to an ACL injury he suffered with Spain in November.
Barcelona suffer another defeat as their 2023-24 season continues to crumble
The Blaugrana came into the 2023-24 season on the back of La Liga and Supercopa de Espana triumphs. However, their campaign has been far from what Barcelona would've expected.
They lost 4-1 in the Supercopa de Espana final against Real Madrid. They were then eliminated from the Copa del Rey quarter-final by Athletic Bilbao, as they lost 4-2 after extra time.
Barca suffered another disappointing defeat against Villarreal at home in La Liga on Saturday. Gerard Moreno (41') and Ilias Akhomach (54') gave the visitors a surprise 2-0 lead at the Lluis Olimpic Companys Stadium.
Barcelona, though, made an excellent comeback to make it 3-2. Ilkay Gundogan (60') and Pedri (68') restored parity before Eric Bailly's own goal (71') gave the hosts the lead.
However, Villarreal fought back and equalised via Goncalo Guedes in the 84th minute. They weren't done there though, as Alexander Sorloth incredibly scored the winner in the ninth minute of stoppage time. Jose Luis Morales then completed the scoring three minutes later.