Xavi
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 30
Every soccer team needs a Xavi, a savvy midfielder whose organizational skills are the glue that held both Barcelona and Spain together in their respective runs to glory. Along with Andres Iniesta he makes up the superb engine room for club and country, connecting the dots between those around him with his infallible short passes. The natural successor to Pep Guardiola, now Barcelona's manager, Xavi has been a mainstay in Barcelona's lineup since 1998 after joining the club's academy in 1991. With a contract running through 2014, he isn't liable to be leaving the only employer he has ever had anytime soon. His Player of the Tournament award for Spain's EURO 2008 triumph was justified. Perhaps the best illustration of the force that is Xavi was his performance against archrivals Real Madrid in May 2009, when he notched four assists in a 6-2 Barcelona win.
Scouting thumbnail: Intelligent playmaker who combines precise passes and artistic vision in both the final third and from a deep lying position. The pulse of the Spanish team. Superb ability to keep the ball.
Country: Spain
Club Team: Barcelona
Position: Midfielder
Age: 30
Every soccer team needs a Xavi, a savvy midfielder whose organizational skills are the glue that held both Barcelona and Spain together in their respective runs to glory. Along with Andres Iniesta he makes up the superb engine room for club and country, connecting the dots between those around him with his infallible short passes. The natural successor to Pep Guardiola, now Barcelona's manager, Xavi has been a mainstay in Barcelona's lineup since 1998 after joining the club's academy in 1991. With a contract running through 2014, he isn't liable to be leaving the only employer he has ever had anytime soon. His Player of the Tournament award for Spain's EURO 2008 triumph was justified. Perhaps the best illustration of the force that is Xavi was his performance against archrivals Real Madrid in May 2009, when he notched four assists in a 6-2 Barcelona win.
Scouting thumbnail: Intelligent playmaker who combines precise passes and artistic vision in both the final third and from a deep lying position. The pulse of the Spanish team. Superb ability to keep the ball.
