Marcus Thuram player profile: Borussia, injury, contracts
FootballMessi Reveals Coach he Wanted at Barcelona Before Switching to Paris Saint-Germain in the Summer
- Lionel Messi had reportedly wanted Xavi Hernandez to become manager at the Camp Nou before he left Barcelona
- The Dutch gaffer was sacked as manager of Barcelona after their five loss in all competitions this season
- It is understood Xavi who currently manages Saudi Arabian outfit Al Sadd has been linked as Koeman's replacement
Lionel Messi had wished his former Barcelona teammate Xavi Hernandez replaced Ronald Koeman before he left the club for Paris Saint-Germain, The Sun.
Messi's wishes before leaving Barcelona
The six-time Ballon d'Or unfortunately left the Camp Nou to join the French giants, ending his 17-year spell at the club.
It is understood that the Argentine who was not in agreement with Koeman during his spell with La Blaugrana, wanted the opportunity handed to Xavi.
Koeman was relieved of his duties as Barcelona boss shortly after their embarrassing 1-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano.
The Dutchman ended his 14-month spell at the club winning the Copa del Rey title last season and finishing third in La Liga.
According to reports going the rounds, Xavi who currently coaches Saudi Arabian side Al Sadd has ben contacted to occupy the vacant managerial position at the Camp Nou.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has said:
"Barcelona board started contacts with Xavi weeks ago.
"Talks will continue today [Thursday] to check the situation with Al-Sadd and resolve issues.
"Announcement not imminent yet - process just started. Xavi wants Barça job."
Barcelona's disastrous season so far
Barcelona currently sits ninth in the La Liga table and have also lost two of their three Champions League games so far this season.
Barca is ninth on the log with four wins from ten matches, suffering three defeats and earning three draws.
The Catalan giants have also lost two games out of their three Champions League matches this season to Bayern Munich and Benfica.
All attention now have been turned to the club legend Xavi who won eight league titles, four Champions League trophies as well as three Copa del Reys while he was teammates with Messi.
AFCON 2022: start date, fixtures, groups, teams to watch out for, venues
FootballXavi agrees to become Barcelona manager
Meanwhile, Briefly News had earlier reported that Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is on the verge of returning to the Camp Nou, but this time as a manager following the sacking of Ronald Koeman, SunSport reports.
Although there are no official statements from the club, several reports claim that Xavi has been contacted to take up the managerial role at Camp Nou.
Koeman was shown the door as Barcelona boss following poor strings of results this season after they suffered another embarrassing defeat to Rayo Vallecano in their week 11 La Liga fixture, losing 1-0.