Happy Birthday, Xavi! 35 on Sunday, 744 Barça appearances and many more to come
Barcelona star Xavi Hernandez turned 35 on Sunday. The Terrassa-born midfielder has spent his whole life in football, mainly with the Catalan club. He arrived at Can Barça in July of 1991 when he had just turned 11 and success has been followed by more and more success since.
His quick progression and innate talent caught the attention of Louis van Gaal, who handed him his first team debut in 1998. In total, Xavi has dedicated 24 years of his life to Barça (17 in the first team). With 744 appearances, he is the player who has worn Azulgrana the most.
Xavi is captain of Barça this season, following Carles Puyol's retirement at the end of the last captain. And as captain, he is hopeful of lifting trophies when the season draws to a close.
Even though he had decided to leave the club last summer, Luis Enrique convinced him to continue, as Xavi himself explained: "He was the key person in me staying. He told me that I start from zero; I liked what I heard when I spoke with him."
This season, Xavi has played 21 times in all competitions and has scored one goal. His last appearance was in the win over Elche on Saturday, where he played a key role in Gerard Pique's opening goal at the Martinez Valero.
