Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has admitted that he would welcome an opportunity to return to the Catalan club in future.
The 41-year-old was strongly linked with the managerial position at Camp Nou when Ernesto Valverde left the club, but the former midfielder did not believe that the timing was right.
Xavi, who is still in charge of Qatari outfit Al-Sadd, has insisted that he is not in a rush to manage the La Liga side but has a desire to take on the role in the future.
“Right now, I’m at Al-Sadd and I’m doing well here. I’m at a big club in Asia, in Qatar. It’s the best team in Qatar. We’ll see what happens in the future.
“Everyone sees me as a Barcelona coach, and I really respect Barcelona and [Ronald] Koeman, the current head coach,” Xavi told FIFA’s official website.
“I don’t want to hide the truth – of course I would like to be Barcelona’s head coach. I’ve said it many times. But I will always respect the presiding coach and the club.
“I wish them the best, of course. I’ve been a Barcelona fan as long as I can remember. There’s an upcoming presidential election, so let’s see which candidate wins in roughly a month’s time.”
Xavi won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns during his time at Camp Nou, while he represented the club on 767 occasions in all competitions.
Koeman’s position as head coach has again been called into question following Tuesday’s 4-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash.
