Al Sadd’s Spanish star Xavi watches the GCC Under-17 Football Championship match between Qatar and UAE at Aspire Dome yesterday.

 

By Matthias Krug/Doha


Just moments after he was presented at Al Sadd Club in June, Xavi sat down to sign autographs for young fans who had lined up impatiently to see him. It reminded me of my earliest memories in football.
The first football game I remember attending was during the 1995 FIFA Youth World Cup in Doha, as Germany were shocked 2-1 by Costa Rica at Al Arabi Club. The next one I will visit is Xavi’s debut with Al Sadd Club in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) in September.
The importance of Xavi’s arrival in Qatar lies in learning from his vision for the game, and the style of play that he has come to epitomise. He will transmit that ‘tiki-tika’ philosophy of rapid passing and movement not just at his new club where he will play with some of Qatar’s current national team players, but also at the Aspire Academy, where he will be working with future Qatari talents.
“I want to bring all of my experience from Barcelona to Qatar, and I see that there are already teams here who like to play our style of football,” Xavi told me on the day of his presentation. “I know that Al Sadd and the coach here play the style which we have played with Barcelona and with the Spanish national team over the past decade, so I come with the knowledge that I will be able to contribute my things.”
There are many things which Xavi brings to Qatar. With seven years to go before 2022, promising youngsters in Qatar are also entering the decisive phase in their development. To have someone as accomplished and inspirational as Xavi guiding and following their progression will be invaluable. “In Qatar they are looking to immerse themselves in the culture of Barcelona and Spain, which has had so much success on the world stage in recent years,” Xavi added. “They want to compete well and to reach the World Cup in 2022 with the most competitive team possible.”
When Xavi Hern?ndez receives the ball, he already knows where it is going next. As a chess grandmaster does, he has calculated not just the next move, but many more in advance. The incredible amount of trophies the Spanish midfielder has won in his playing career (25) are one thing, but the way in which he helped to create with Barcelona and Spain a new style of play indicates his standing in world football.
We have had the privilege to welcome some of the most important names in world football to the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) offices in Doha over the past year and a half. Aside from laying out our plans and the progress made on five stadiums to date, we always make sure to hear what World Cup experiences these players can share with us.
In the case of Xavi, we will be able to learn from one of the decisive figures in Spain’s triumph in 2010, the first World Cup on the African continent. For those young Al Sadd fans with their signed jerseys, and for millions of youngsters in the Middle East, 2022 will be their chance to see the tournament and be inspired right at their doorstep.





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