"We have to stop making excuses and be critical of ourselves" - Pedri makes social media post following Xavi's decision to leave Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Pedri has sent a strong message to the club's fans via his X (formerly Twitter) account following Xavi's exit announcement.
Xavi announced that he would be stepping down after the current season's completion. He said so following Barcelona's 5-3 La Liga defeat to Villarreal on Saturday (January 27), leaving the club in fourth and 11 points adrift of leaders Girona.
Xavi said (via Goal):
"We have reached a point of no return. It's time for change. 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.”
“Right now, if I think with my head and think about the club, the solution and the best thing is for me to leave in June, that is how I feel."
Amid these circumstances, Pedri urged his fellow players to stop making excuses and to do their best for the club and the fans. He wrote:
"These are very difficult days for everyone. We have to stop making excuses and be critical of ourselves to push this forward for the coach, for the team and, above all, for the club and for you."
Xavi took charge of Barcelona in November 2021 and has managed to win La Liga once, as well as the Supercopa de Espana in 2023.
Pedri has made 17 appearances across competitions this campaign, bagging two goals and two assists.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta reacts to Xavi's decision to leave the club at the end of the season
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has admitted that it was Xavi who decided to leave the club at the end of the season. This season, Xavi's side have won 20 of their 32 matches while losing seven. They have lost back-to-back matches across competitions and are also out of the Copa del Rey.
Addressing Xavi's exit, Laporta said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“Xavi informed me that he would leave at the end of the season. He wanted to finish the season and it’s a formula that I accept because it was Xavi who proposed it to me. And he is a Barca legend. He is an honest person; he acts with complete dignity; and he is a person who loves Barca."
Xavi endured better times at Barcelona as a player. He made 767 appearances for the Catalan side, bagging 85 goals and 185 assists while winning La Liga eight times and the UEFA Champions League on four occasions.