Xavi Hernandez Reveals Desire to Manage Barcelona, Talks Premier League and More

The Barcelona faithful may one day look forward to seeing a familiar face at the club's helm after Xavi Hernandez revealed his desire to one day coach his former side; the 36-year-old also spoke of his interest in the Premier League. 

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Xavi described it as his "ultimate objective" to take over at the Barca helm in the future, reiterating he thinks of the Camp Nou as his "home" in football:

"

I have no doubts. I want to stay in football, being close to the pitch. I would hate being stuck in an office. I want to do something properly or not at all. My ultimate objective is to coach Barcelona. I’m not hiding that. I want to work again for that house I consider a home.

Whenever I have 10 minutes to myself, bang – the football goes on the TV. My wife knows that, and she hates football. I’ll put on La Liga and keep an eye on the Premier League games, too. I’ll study the line-ups, and who’s scored, on my phone.

"

Xavi left boyhood club Barcelona last summer for Al Sadd in Qatar, where he is reaching the end of his first season, having penned a three-year contract with the club.

As was always evident in his approach to the sport, Xavi is simply obsessed with football and wishes to see that desire to be engaged with the sport continue past his playing retirement: 

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Football’s still a hobby. That’s the secret. If I didn’t have training every day, I’d go and play five-a-side with my mates. 

Listen: I’m playing in Qatar. It’s a professional league – you can’t just coast through games, because everyone is well-prepared physically and the teams are evenly matched – but it’s not like Europe. Tactically, it’s not that well developed. But 
I love playing football and Al Sadd play a possession game, so I touch the ball 
over 100 times per game.

I’m here for football and I want to leave a legacy for the 2022 World Cup.

"

A 17-year career in Barcelona's first team saw Xavi go up against some of the biggest brutes European football has to offer, and one of the outfits that left the biggest impact on him was English giants Liverpool.

The Daily Mirror's Liam Prenderville provided further quotes from Xavi's interview with FourFourTwo, where he spoke of Barca's 3-1 win over the Reds in November 2001, hailing the Anfield support despite their substantial defeat.

He said: "The fans remained for the whole game and never stopped applauding their team. I couldn’t believe it. I was speechless. English football has always been in Spain’s retina. England breathes football in a way Spain doesn’t. In England, a footballer is like a god."

KARIM JAAFAR/Getty Images

Xavi will be 38 by the time his Al Sadd contract is set to expire, and it's at that point questions are bound to be asked if the evergreen wonder will finally decide to hang up his boots and head into coaching.

Upon seeing his marvel leave the Camp Nou in June 2015, Barcelona President Josep Maria Bartomeu told El Mon, a programme on Catalan radio station Rac 1, Xavi was bound to take over at the Barca helm one day (h/t J.M. Bertran of Sport):

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I said a while ago that Xavi has earned the right to decide what he does with his future. He has an offer to continue at Barcelona, but also an offer to play elsewhere. He will decide. 

Xavi is a player with more titles and more games than anyone else in the history of the club. He must decide on his own what he wants to do. 

I don't know what he will say today, but if he goes, it will be a return journey, because I'm sure he will return to the club. He has a future as a manager here. I insist, Barca have offered him the chance to continue [as a player].

"

It's also intriguing to hear the Spaniard admit his private interest in the English top flight just as former Barcelona team-mate and manager Pep Guardiola prepares to take over at Manchester City this summer.

His appointment is bound to only enamour Xavi further with the Premier League, and he also revealed he has some belief in England's national team heading into UEFA Euro 2016, too, per Squawka:

For now, Barcelona are content under the managerial majesty of Luis Enrique, who arrived under some scrutiny at the Camp Nou before going on to win a treble last season, his maiden term in charge of the club.

Xavi left Catalonia having made a record 767 appearances for Barcelona, at least 150 more than any other player in the club's history and a figure anyone will find hard to beat in a world where one-club men are few and far between:

As such, that connection with the fans, the organisation and indeed the city of Barcelona gives Xavi an added advantage if he ever were to take control of Los Azulgranas, a vantage point few others can boast.

Barcelona may have already anticipated their disciple would one day return to the club, but Xavi has re-emphasised just how important it is that he one day leads his Blaugrana.