Twice Manchester United faced FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League final, in 2009 and 2011, and both times, they were convincingly beaten by what could possibly have been the greatest club team in the history of the game. One of the biggest parts of that team was Xavi.
The Spanish midfield maestro achieved almost everything that there was to achieve at both club and international level, and would have most probably won a Ballon d’Or or two during his storied career as well if not for the presence of a certain Lionel Messi on his own team.
Since retiring, Xavi has moved into management and is very highly-rated. Recent rumours have even suggested that he could be headed to FC Barcelona after Ronald Koeman was shown the exit door.
And while it remains to be seen what happens in that regard, Xavi has admitted in the past that he would be interested in managing a Premier League team like Manchester United during his career. As reported by The Sun, he told Sky Sports in 2019:
"“Obviously if I had to choose, I would choose a big team, City or United, Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham.”"
Could Xavi become the Manchester United manager one day?
It is hard to predict what can happen in football in the future. Xavi has certainly made a bright start to life as a manager and his style of football has caught the eye.
He might end up in the FC Barcelona managerial hot seat in the near future and it is safe to say that that would be a huge project. The club find themselves in a tricky position right now and need a huge rebuild if they are to hit the heights that they did during Xavi’s playing career.
On the other hand, Manchester United find themselves in a tough spot as well and could end up having to change manager if things don’t improve soon. But there are little to no chances of that man being Xavi for now.