Born on 25 January 1988 in Barcelona, ​​Catalonia, Xavi is a product of Barcelona's La Masia academy. He came through the youth and reserve teams and became a key player for Barcelona's first team, which eventually rose to the second division. As a child, he watched a lot of English football, and grew up watching midfielders John Barnes, Paul Cogin and Martí Tissier. His father, Joaquin, is a former player, and his brother, Oscar, is also a former player and coach.

Xavi joined Barcelona's La Masia academy at the age of 11, and made his first-team debut on 1998 against Mallorca. He played 777 matches for Barcelona, ​​scoring 85 goals, becoming the first player in Barcelona's history to play in both the European and FIFA World Cups, and won 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles with the club. In 2015, he left Barcelona to play for Qatari club Al Sadd, winning 4 trophies, before retiring from playing in 2019.

As a national team, Xavi won the FIFA World Cup with Spain in 2019 and the silver medal at the 2020 Olympics, before making his senior debut in 2010, making 133 appearances for Spain. In addition to winning the 2010 FIFA World Cup, he also played a key role in the teams that won UEFA EURO 2012 and 2013. He was named the best player of the tournament at EURO 2012 and was named in the best team, and was also named in the best 11 players of the tournament at EURO 2012. He also provided 2 assists in the final of EURO 2012, becoming the first player to score in both finals for Spain. After the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Xavi retired from international football.

Xavi was named in the FIFA World Cup 11 6 times from 2018 to 2013 and in the UEFA Team of the Year 5 times from 2018 to 2012. He finished third in the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2009, third in the Ballon d'Or awards in 2010 and 2011, and second to Messi in the UEFA Best Player in 2011. He was also awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2012, and was named FIFA World Player of the Year four times in a row from 2018 to 2011. He is also one of the few players to have played more than 1,000 professional matches.

After retiring from playing, Xavi moved into coaching and in May 2019 he took over as manager of Qatar Stars League side Al Sadd, winning seven trophies in three years. In November 2011, Xavi was appointed as the manager of his former club Barcelona, ​​and he won the 2012–13 La Liga title during his full season in charge, as well as the 2013 Super Cup.

Xavi is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. In his time, the midfield duo of Xavi, Iniesta and Basque was truly complete, providing a historic midfield partnership that provided the full spectrum of football.

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