'Old school meets new school' at Barcelona as Xavi and Pep Guardiola face off as managers

By Jaide Timm-Garcia, CNN

Updated 1253 GMT (2053 HKT) August 26, 2022

Guardiola (left) and Xavi (right) greet each other ahead of a charity match at the Camp Nou this week.

Barcelona, Spain (CNN)It felt almost like a family reunion at Barcelona's Camp Nou as Xavi Hernández and Pep Guardiola faced each other for the first time as managers this week.

Guardiola, a former Barça player and manager, always receives a reverent welcome from the club's supporters, and Wednesday was no exception as his City side faced the Blaugrana in a charity match. The two managers embraced each other before and after the match — an amicable energy that spilled into the crowd as excited fans came from all over the world to see the «Xavi versus Pep» debut and watch the European giants in a friendly clash.Sharing a pitch is nothing new to Guardiola and Xavi, who first played together as teammates in 1998 when Xavi joined Barcelona's senior squad. Ten years later, they reunited with Guardiola as head coach on the sidelines and Xavi as captain of Barcelona, and now they enter a new era by assuming the same vantage point, side-by-side but from opposing coaching boxes.Read More«It's like old-school Barça meets new-school Barça,» lifelong fan and Barcelona resident Ciprian Adrián told CNN Sport as he looked down at both teams warming up. «We love Pep after all he's done for the club and, of course, have always wanted him to come back. But Xavi has been really good for Barcelona.»Xavi was appointed as Barça manager last year and has overseen an upturn in results, although the start of this season has been overshadowed by the club's financial problems off the field and a disappointing 0-0 draw against Rayo Vallecano at home. Guardiola delivers