Xavi Reveals the Behind-the-Scenes of His Meeting with Flick

Xavi Hernandez, the Barcelona legend and former coach of the team, revealed details of his meeting with current coach Hans Flick, noting that the latter expressed his gratitude for the work Xavi did during his time coaching the Blaugrana.

Xavi said: "Flick visited me and we talked for over two hours; it was a sincere and friendly conversation, during which he expressed his happiness with what I accomplished at Barcelona, and he told me: 'Thank you, what you helped build here makes me happy, the players train hard and learn from you.'"

He continued: "I told him not to read the media too much, as following newspapers and criticisms could drive him crazy; he needs to focus only on the team, because the pressures at Barcelona are relentless, especially for club sons."

He added: "My children love the team; my son adores Lamine Yamal and Pedri, while my daughter follows Raphinha and Lewandowski; we live the atmosphere of Barcelona in all its details."

He went on: "We watch the first team and the women's team matches; people think I am sad after my departure, but I am proud of what Flick is doing and happy with the team's level."

He noted: "I gave Lamine Yamal and Kobarsi the opportunity to play, and this is a source of pride for me; Lamine is a genius and will become one of the best in the world."

He confirmed: "The team presses wonderfully on the flanks, the defense is solid and executes offside traps well; I enjoy watching them despite the difficulty of going to the stadium."

Regarding Pedri and De Jong, Xavi said: "Pedri never loses the ball and makes perfect decisions, and Frenkie de Jong is also having a special moment."

He continued, saying: "Barcelona is still a team in the building phase; I said this before and faced criticism, but the truth is that the players are still young; Lamine is 17, Kobarsi is 18, Pedri is 22, and Balde is 21."

He concluded: "In big clubs, when you don't achieve trophies for a season, everyone starts to worry, but the team is on the right track."