Xavi: Why is he leaving Barcelona and what's next for him and the club?

Two days after Jurgen Klopp announced he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season, another vacancy will soon open up at a European superclub as Xavi confirmed on Saturday night he would step down at Barcelona.

The Spaniard, one of Barca's greatest ever players, took charge of the Catalan club in November 2021 and initially helped to steer a sinking ship, guiding Barcelona to La Liga glory in his first full season in charge.

However, after Saturday's 5-3 home defeat to Villarreal, Barca are now 10 points off leaders Real Madrid. They were also eliminated from the Copa del Rey on Thursday with a 4-2 defeat at Athletic Bilbao, meaning their only realistic hope of silverware lies in the Champions League – although given their current issues, Barca are considered outsiders for the trophy.

Barcelona were also comprehensively beaten by rivals Real in the Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh earlier this month.

Soon after the loss to Villarreal, Xavi revealed he would leave Barcelona at the end of the current campaign, saying: "I think the club needs a change of dynamic."

Xavi, whose contract runs until June 2025, pulled no punches in announcing his decision to cut short his time at Barcelona. He began by explaining that he had given everything and that he was leaving for the benefit of the club.

“I would like to announce that on 30 June I will not continue as coach of Barcelona,” he said. “We have been talking to the president [Joan Laporta], with Rafa Yuste [the vice-president], Alejandro Echevarria [an adviser], Deco [the sporting director] and part of the staff.

“The situation needs to change and as a cule [a Barcelona fan] I can’t allow this. I took this decision days ago, but it is time to make it public. I don’t want