The Xavi Hernandez Appreciation Thread

I clicked on the first page and seen that SOTS had thanked a post :eek:

Then I seen the date.

Liam O

Lukker- wrote: »

It'll be like Chelsea vs Barcelona in 2009. Inter will have Iniesta and Xavi in shackles in CM, without them Messi will get no space and fade like he did vs Chelsea last year.You can't outplay Barca with total football so Inter will just play the counter attack. Barcelona are overrated, there I said it.

Fairplay

Davaeo09

With Xavi's recent injury worries and an superb performace last night (tonight ) how do people rate his chances of WPY?
Does he deserve it?

I personally believe he deserves it based on his international career this year (and club ofc) and based on his consistency over the last few years.

Xavi6

Great touch -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-qBGuvRFSE

flahavaj

Best footballer on the planet for me. He completely took the p*ss last night. Seemed to be suffering a minor world cup hangover before that but if last night is anyting to go by he's back in business. You have to ee the man play live to truly appreciate what he does for a team.

Liam O

ye he's a great player, runs like a rocket and finishes chances whenever he gets them, wait, this is the Javier Hernandez appreciation thread right?

gimmick

Xavi is easily the most clever player I have ever seen play football. His movement is always quite simple as are his passes, but thats because of his intelligence on the pitch.

Soem twats seem to think that just because he isn't making 35 yard worlds class passes every game and "only doing 50 5 yard" ones per game make him a tad over rated, but those people do not understand the game of football.

He makes the game look simple which is a crazy skill in itself.

Mitch Connor

gimmick wrote: »

He makes the game look simple which is a crazy skill in itself.

Thats the thing i notice most about him.

Pretty much everything he does looks so freaking simple and obvious, doesn't look difficult to him at all - all done at his pace, and with such ease and composure. It is incredible.

He can, and does, play some outstanding passes (remember one through ball to Alves last year, can't remember the game - Alves laid it off for someone else to tap in - but it was one of the best passes I have seen) but most of the time he is playing simple passes, then moving to recieve a simple pass before doing the same again - all the while moving the opposition around the pitch and creating gaps and spaces. All so basic - pass and move - but he just does it so well.

eZe^

Creative midfield perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3bs_TAzqO0

pickarooney

eZe^ wrote: »

Creative midfield perfection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3bs_TAzqO0

I simply don't get it. He's a good player but there wasn't a single thing in that whole video that had me go 'wow'. And I like to go 'wow' at highlight reels.

Soby

Xavi6 wrote: »

Great touch -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-qBGuvRFSE

Looked even sexier live

Le King

pickarooney wrote: »

I simply don't get it. He's a good player but there wasn't a single thing in that whole video that had me go 'wow'. And I like to go 'wow' at highlight reels.

He's the best player at the moment. He makes it look far too easy. My footballer of the year this year. The man is a pure diamond.

To truly understand football you have to truly appreciate what Xavi does.

Fuhrer

Xavi has to have the best close control ive ever seen for a midfielder, the way he can turn and change directions efortlessly is quite a sight to behold.

gimmick

pickarooney wrote: »

I simply don't get it. He's a good player but there wasn't a single thing in that whole video that had me go 'wow'. And I like to go 'wow' at highlight reels.

As i said above, he makes everything look simple, he doesn't need any "wow" moments, probably because just the way he plays from start to finish is "wow".

Davaeo09

Very good article about the genius that is Xavi

http://www.totalbarca.com/2010/opinion-pieces/how-to-replace-the-irreplaceable/

Can some one embed this article for me please.

Le King

Here you go:

How to replace the irreplaceable?



If Barca’s unbelievable victory against Real Madrid has taught us one thing – other than it is a lot of fun to watch Jose Mourinho sit still and look sad – it is that Barca are blessed with some truly wonderful footballers at the moment, none more so than potential Balon D’or winner Xavi Hernandez.


The words maestro, magician and dynamo do not do the man justice – he is far better than any word in the English language could ever allow for. Maybe we need some beautiful Catalan turn of phrase to truly describe his abilities but seeing as Catalunya’s greatest poets are not here right now (our very own Catalan wordsmith Cerridwen is also busy at the moment!) it falls on me to try to vocalise exactly what it is that makes Xavi so good.

And just what could have been if he had left for pastures new before now.

And (it hurts me to write this) what we will do when the time comes for him to hang up his boots for good. That day will see a tear fall from even the most hardened Barca heart.

Let’s begin with a very simple fact – I could write about Xavi Hernandez all day long, every day, so enamoured am I with the man’s quality. But it is not just his footballing prowess that impresses me. No it is his mind, his dignity, his humility and, perhaps most importantly, the fact that he has made it acceptable, in a sport filled with fortune, fame and facade, to be wise. To be intelligent, and refined, and quiet. To let your ideas do the talking. To shun the limelight in favour of the glory that comes from getting the game right. It’s hard work but someone’s got to do it. Luckily for us Xavi has taken it upon himself to be that someone.

He is the greatest player I have ever had the good fortune to admire live, and he is the first player I look to on the pitch no matter if he has the ball or not. His movement is fantastic. His reading of the game second to none. His ability to thread a ball through the eye of a needle, well I don’t really know how to finish that sentence other than to re-emphasise the start of it again – the man CAN thread a ball through the eye of a needle.

He is able to put a pass where no pass should go. He could create space in a crowded car park. He can lead defenders a merry jig with one look. One movement. One pass. He is that split second that makes the difference between a game of football and history. He is my footballing hero. In fact I’d go as far as to say he is one of my all time heroes – up there with Pablo Picasso, Joe Strummer and Raymond Carver. He is that important to me.

Whether I’m playing (terrible) 5-a-side football or just out in everyday life I often have this strange thought – I guess it’s similar to how Christians ask themselves What Would Jesus Do – I ask myself What Would Xavi Do? Then I stop for a moment, I consider everything, take a deep breath, stick out my chest and try to make something happen. (For example I’ll order a coffee in Starbucks. Oh yeah, just like Xavi baby!)




And all of that is without even considering the amazing experiences the man has given us as Barca fans. As I’ve said before he is the metronone around which this, the greatest of all Barcas, ticks. He is the conductor that makes the symphony swing. He is…anyway, enough of that.

This article began after reading a recent revelation by AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani that the Serie A giants came very close to signing our most prized of assets a few seasons back. Maybe I’m sentimental but that made me feel rather nauseous. The idea of Xavi in another teams jersey. No. Sorry. I can’t even picture that let alone accept how close it may have been, but speaking after El Clasico Galliani made some pretty amazing claims.

“A few years ago we were a millimetre away from signing Xavi, a player I always liked very much. We had spoken to his father. We were very close but then he decided to extend his stay at Barcelona.”

Now we all know from the man himself that Xavi did consider leaving the Camp Nou earlier on in his career, but it’s only when you hear how near he was to actually going elsewhere that you realise just what we could have lost. A loss that would certainly have been Milan’s gain. Imagine our recent history without Xavi. Sure we probably would have signed some huge name – erm Beckham maybe??? – but Xavi is the embodiment of what Barca is right now. He is Barca through and through, from cantera to testimonial, so if we had lost him I can only imagine everything we see now would not be with us today.

Okay, okay, Pep would probably have still worked wonders, and Messi and Ronaldinho and Eto’o would have all given us moments to write home about but it would have been with no Xavi. Worse than that, our greatest work of art would be on display elsewhere, leaving us to look on sadly, thinking of what may have been.

Thankfully it didn’t happen. AC settled for the Italian version of our great artwork in Andrea Pirlo whilst Xavi went on to win everything that could possibly be won with both Barca and Spain. A list of winners medals that must surely push the man high up into the realms of the game’s all time greats. But what happens next?

We all know that Xavi is suffering from ankle and achilles problems, and the human body ages only sadly, and yet to watch the man now is to see a player in his prime. A player playing for pure passion. Pure pleasure. Pure football. He is, right now, irreplacable. So how long have we got and how do we replace him? Sorry no, not replace. His place will never be taken, only his position filled.

There is a lot of talk of Thiago, Affelay, Pastore and of course Cesc, and while the Arsenal man fits the mould with the most ease it is still hard to see just how any future Barca will function without Xavi within it. The obvious factor is that Pep would have to be mad to bench a fit and content Xavi to allow any other player to break their teeth in the position. As such it’s hard to imagine any player being willing to play second fiddle for any longer than one season. But for my money I think Xavi may have at least another 2 or 3 good years left in him – thanks to the fact that his job requires quickness of thought and energy of ideas over actual physial pace and pounce.

Saying that he is going to need protecting more and more as the years creep by, Pep wrapping him in cotton wool whenever he gets the chance, and so it would be good to see the likes of Thiago and Cesc given the chance to prove themselves worthy of the master’s mantle. Whether either of them will be willing to sit on the sidelines for so long remains to be seen.

I hate to get so poetic and philosphical about it all but tonight, well, it’s just one of those nights. Maybe it’s the comedown after the unexpected high. Maybe it’s the recognition of eternity that holds us all, including Xavi, in its sway. The fact we cannot beat time. We can fight it and fight it, we can even, sometimes, if we get lucky, hold it still for a second, allowing our names to linger on a little longer but we cannot beat it. There will be someone else coming round the corner soon to take our place. I guess we should be happy they didn’t arrive earlier but this evening, well, the future seems so close that I feel the need to cherish what we have in the present right now. And cherish it we must. For it won’t last forever.

Xavi Hernandez we thank you. For what was, what will be, and what is forever.

Moltes Gràcies.




The article

flahavaj

^^^

Best in the world.

Le King

flahavaj wrote: »

^^^

Best in the world.

The best player in the world? Yeah. Messi vs Ronaldo is a 2nd place competition.

Unbelievable player.

Pinturicchio

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1113507/The-best-players-world-Xavi--Ronaldo-crowned-king-football.html

:pac:

flahavaj

Le King wrote: »

The best player in the world? Yeah. Messi vs Ronaldo is a 2nd place competition.

Unbelievable player.

I meant you're the best poster in the world, but now that you say it Xavi is pretty handy too.:pac:

Davaeo09

Thanks very much

Le King

flahavaj wrote: »

I meant you're the best poster in the world, but now that you say it Xavi is pretty handy too.:pac:

Funny man!

Davaeo09

So realistically how does everyone rate Xavi's chance of world player of the year?

Blatter

Davaeo09 wrote: »

So realistically how does everyone rate Xavi's chance of world player of the year?

It's between himself and Sneijder, Iniesta has an outside chance. Xavi should get it but I feel he maybe overlooked simply because Wesley won the treble and got to world cup final..

SlickRic

Davaeo09 wrote: »

So realistically how does everyone rate Xavi's chance of world player of the year?

Sneijder's been out of the public eye a while, and as a result i think he might miss out even though he probably should win it.

Messi would probably walk it again if it wasn't World Cup year.

Xavi had a good World Cup, but i think with Iniesta being MOTM in the final, and getting the winning goal, i think he could sneak it.

the competition for it is absolutely wide open IMO.

it depends what voters remember from the year, seen as Inter's brilliant season ended months and months ago.

Blatter

Here's the favorites on PP, really is wide open, I think Xavi's performance against Real the other night might clinch it for him, It was an incredible display. All the people who vote, were almost certainly watching that game... Xavi 11/8 W Sneijder 13/8 A Iniesta 7/2 L Messi 6/1

gimmick

Again on Monday he was sublime. I actually thought the Real Madrid players were going to applaud him off when he was subbed he was that good.

One thing I wonder though, and it is an unanswerable, is how his career would ahve went had he moved to England? Would his style be allowed in the more physcial premier league, or would he have made his style work? Id give the benefit of the doubt that he would.

JayMul

Since Euro 2008 and before I have maintained that he's the greatest footballer of our time. If he isn't that then he's the most underrated player ever, one brilliant thing about him is every game he goes out there and just does his job, keeping posession linking up play. I think a huge problem he suffers from is he makes it look so easy and joe public just write him off, most of us are aware controlling the midfield is probably the hardest job on the pitch bar being referee.

Iniesta gets all the plaudits cause he always looks like he's struggling for the cause and then bam does something outlandish, but he is always trying the intricate pass or run, looks amazing when it comes off, but if he's having a bad day at the office Xavi is there to pick up the pieces. I like Iniesta but he wouldn't be my first name on the teamsheet, Xavi everytime.

Blatter

JayMul wrote: »

I have maintained that he's the greatest footballer of our time. If he isn't that then he's the most underrated player ever, one brilliant thing about him is every game he goes out there and just does his job, keeping posession linking up play. I think a huge problem he suffers from is he makes it look so easy and joe public just write him off, most of us are aware controlling the midfield is probably the hardest job on the pitch bar being referee.

This thread is about Xavi, not Paul Scholes.

Xavi gets an awful lot of praise from what I can see, all of which is fully deserved.

Scholes on the other hand, possibly the most underated footballer there has ever been.

He was just as good as Xavi is IMO.

Le King

Pinturicchio wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1113507/The-best-players-world-Xavi--Ronaldo-crowned-king-football.html

:pac:

I love this comment under the article:

Xavi is amazing. One of the best midfielders of this generation. He is the linchpin of quite possibly the most exciting team in Europe at the moment. If you can't see that you don't watch enough football and do not deserve to write about it for a living.

JayMul

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

This thread is about Xavi, not Paul Scholes.

Xavi gets an awful lot of praise from what I can see, all of which is fully deserved.

Scholes on the other hand, possibly the most underated footballer there has ever been.

He was just as good as Xavi is IMO.

Agreed Scholesy is a god amongst footballers, the only reason Xavi might pip Scholesy to the greatest/underrated is by virtue of winning absolutely everything there is to win and being the mainstay of the team that did it.

But close call and I suppose I could rephrase \"of our time" to "current crop of stars" it would make more sense as Scholesy was the last crop and is on the way out now, surprisingly slowly thank god.

Bodhisopha

Scholes as good as Xavi?

Thanks for the LOL's lads!

Smegball

Scholes is as good as Xavi over the course of their careers tbh, Xavi has better passing ability - Scholes has better goalscoring records.

Evens out if you ask me - both underrated.

stevoslice

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

Scholes on the other hand, possibly the most underated footballer there has ever been.

not by anyone who knows what they are talking about.

although he does sometimes mistime a tackle or two.. lol

Blatter

JayMul wrote: »

Agreed Scholesy is a god amongst footballers, the only reason Xavi might pip Scholesy to the greatest/underrated is by virtue of winning absolutely everything there is to win and being the mainstay of the team that did it.

But close call and I suppose I could rephrase \"of our time" to "current crop of stars" it would make more sense as Scholesy was the last crop and is on the way out now, surprisingly slowly thank god.

But ah, wasn't Scholes a mainstay of the several Utd teams that won everything there was to win over the last 10-15 years?

Le King

Bodhisopha wrote: »

Scholes as good as Xavi?

Thanks for the LOL's lads!

Did you write that Daily Mail article?

Scholes was absolute class in his day, as good as any other midfielder I have seen in my lifetime, including Xavi.

Especially the lol after it, it insinuates how ignorant you are of the abilities of the great ginger ninja.

karma_

Le King wrote: »

Did you write that Daily Mail article?

Scholes was absolute class in his day, as good as any other midfielder I have seen in my lifetime, including Xavi.

Especially the lol after it, it insinuates how ignorant you are of the abilities of the great ginger ninja.

Scholes was good, but Xavi is great. Anyone who thinks Scholes at his peak was as good as Xavi is seriously deluded.

Bodhisopha

Le King wrote: »

Did you write that Daily Mail article?

Scholes was absolute class in his day, as good as any other midfielder I have seen in my lifetime, including Xavi.

Especially the lol after it, it insinuates how ignorant you are of the abilities of the great ginger ninja.

No, i didn't even read the article. When i see the word "Mail" preceeded by the word "Daily", i usually keep it moving.

I never said Scholes wasn't class, so cool your jets on that front. I just don't believe he was ever as good as Xavi is and to be honest i think it's pretty disrespectful for people to come on to a Xavi appreciation thread and say he is equal to a player that most (who know their stuff) consider to be not as good as him.

Why not start a Paul Scholes appreciation thread?

Blatter

thebhoy wrote: »

not by anyone who knows what they are talking about.

although he does sometimes mistime a tackle or two.. lol

He's been constanly overlooked for the PFA player of the year award and never even been nominated for the ballon d'Or. These are people who are supposed to know what they are talking about...

Le King

karma_ wrote: »

Scholes was good, but Xavi is great. Anyone who thinks Scholes at his peak was as good as Xavi is seriously deluded.

But your probably the most impartial fan ever. Your a great big ABU.

karma_

Le King wrote: »

But your probably the most impartial fan ever. Your a great big ABU.

I may be but I can appreciate a good player when I see one. I can even appreciate a good united player when I see one too.

dfx-

karma_ wrote: »

Scholes was good, but Xavi is great. Anyone who thinks Scholes at his peak was as good as Xavi is seriously deluded.

It's not even close.

Le King

karma_ wrote: »

I may be but I can appreciate a good player when I see one. I can even appreciate a good united player when I see one too.

I don't think you can. Regardless this is another thread derailed by the obsession that is MUFC.

dfx-

Le King wrote: »

I don't think you can. Regardless this is another thread derailed by the obsession that is MUFC.

True, that obsession for MUFC is pretty much the only thing that bring the two together in the same thread.

karma_

Le King wrote: »

I don't think you can. Regardless this is another thread derailed by the obsession that is MUFC.

You're entitled to your opinion, however wrong it is. I can appreciate the talents of players like Best, Scholes, Cantona or Keane as much as the next fan and I can leave my opinion of the team they play for at the door. I'm in no way derailing a thread which is about Xavi in saying I think he is a vastly superior player to Paul Scholes.

Xavi6

Fuck United and whatever else is pissing on Xavi's parade.

I've been following him closely (not stalker closely) since 1998/99 and in that time he has grown into the greatest midfielder of his generation. I could watch him pick holes in a defence or knock a ball five yards all day. He does it with ease and perfection.

No one comes close to matching what he does.

parker kent

Why does every thread about a player end up in a big willy contest between fans of different teams. Scholes has been a great player. Everybody sensible should accept that. But this is the Xavi appreciation thread, not the "compare Xavi to other players and have petty little rows thread." And I say that as somebody who would let Paul Scholes ride me if he wanted So no need for the "Scholes is better" comments or the "Fúck United" comments.

Xavi is one of the greatest players I have ever seen and the main man in the best midfield I have seen. He seems like a nice man too in any interview I have seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhJ2skmPXeI

JayMul

SOCCER4LIFE wrote: »

But ah, wasn't Scholes a mainstay of the several Utd teams that won everything there was to win over the last 10-15 years?

Sure but he wasn't the mainstay of a team that won the World Cup. Also Scholes only became the first player on SAFs teamsheet when Keane moved on.

A Primal Nut

JayMul wrote: »

Sure but he wasn't the mainstay of a team that won the World Cup. Also Scholes only became the first player on SAFs teamsheet when Keane moved on.

Regardless of who SAF put down first on his teamsheet is irrelevant, both Scholes and Keane were guaranteed starters in every game. Scholes was a great player throughout his career. I think Xavi is better but the idea that he is way better and there is no comparision is rediculous but typical of exaggerations among football fans. And I'm not a United fan.

JayMul

Xavi6 wrote: »

I've been following him closely (not stalker closely) since 1998/99 and in that time he has grown into the greatest midfielder of his generation. I could watch him pick holes in a defence or knock a ball five yards all day. He does it with ease and perfection..

I remember watching him back around that time and thinking why is he such an amazing player for me when I buy him in Championship Manager 2001 but looks dirt in real life? He really wasn't anything much back then, but people obviously saw the huge hidden talent beneath waiting to surface.

Whether you like it or not there's huge similarities between Scholes and Xavi, Xavi has the advantage of being played in/taking on a more mature role from an early age. Scholes was still making late runs into the box when Xavi was winning the Euro Cup.