Al Sadd captain Xavi Hernandez will retire at the end of the season to move into coaching, calling time on a trophy-laden career spanning two decades.
Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies while at Barcelona. The 39-year-old also won his first title in Qatar after Al Sadd SC won the QNB Stars League title this season. Xavi, who has made a record 767 appearances for Barca and 133 for Spain, confirmed his retirement plans in an open letter sent to members of the Spanish media yesterday. 
“This is my last season as a player but I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for me as a coach,” wrote Xavi, who has been playing for Al Sadd since leaving Barca in 2015.
Xavi played in Al Sadd’s Amir Cup quarter-final win over Al Gharafa yesterday. And he said that he wants to finish his career by winning the Amir Cup and Asian Champions League with Sadd. “It has been a privilege to play football until 39 years of age and now I would like to finish the season on a high by winning the Amir Cup and by getting to the next phase of the Asian Champions League.”
Xavi made his debut for Barca in 1998 after coming through the club’s famed La Masia academy and soon became the heartbeat of the team’s midfield, winning eight La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns before joining Al Sadd.
He was one of the key players when Spain won their first and only World Cup in 2010 as well as their European Championship triumphs in 2008 and 2012, eventually retiring from the national team after a disappointing 2014 World Cup.
Xavi will continue his work with Generation Amazing, a Qatari programme created “to ensure the 2022 World Cup leaves a human and social legacy”. “During the next four weeks, I will tie my boots to play the last matches of an unforgettable race that has lasted for 21 years and has taken me all over the world,” Xavi said.
“My philosophy as a coach reflects the style we developed for many years under the influence of Johan Cruyff and La Masia, and that has its greatest exponent in the way of playing football in Barcelona. I love seeing the teams take the initiative in the field, attack football and return to the essence of what we all love from our childhood days: possession football,” he added.