There were other contenders to be the final player of the week after an enthralling La Liga campaign – Cristiano Ronaldo, again, for his hat-trick against Getafe, Aritz Aduriz for his brace against Villarreal, or one of the Eibar players responsible for the 3-0 win against Cordoba that was unfortunately rendered meaningless. It was a thrilling final day and there were plenty of standout individual performances.
Perhaps even Diogo Salomao, the Portuguese midfielder who equalised for Deportivo against Barca, saving the Galicians from the drop, would have been in with a shout if this was an ordinary weekend. But it wasn’t. Scenes such as those that greeted Xavi – the extraordinary banner across one side of Camp Nou – and the emotion as he left the field could never be described as ordinary. Nor could the scenes after the final whistle, when Barca’s title celebrations paled in comparison to the farewell afforded to a player who has a genuine claim to be the club’s greatest ever.
Xavi says goodbye to Barca with his eighth Primera winners’ medal – and could still take two more trophies before he heads to Al Sadd. The 35-year-old will even be back at Camp Nou in less than a week, as Barca contest the Copa del Rey final with Athletic Bilbao.
It won’t be the same, though. Barca are nominally the away side in the Cup final and the stadium won’t be packed to the rafters with Cules, as it was on Saturday. It was therefore fitting that Xavi picked up the League trophy as Barca captain, having assumed the armband last summer when Carles Puyol called time on his career.
Xavi is, of course, not retiring. He was at pains to point that out in his post-match speech, when he reflected on his ‘fantastic career,’ and spoke of it in the past tense before a quick correction. But Xavi has had a career of highs – from his first title winners’ medal in 1998-99 to this one 16 years later, with three Champions Leagues and a smattering of other trophies as well. And that’s just at club level. Players who win three consecutive international tournaments don’t come along very often and when they go, it’s a moment for pause.
So as Xavi says goodbye to La Liga – and breaks a promise, having vowed not to cry and then welling up as he left the pitch – it’s the end not just of the season but of an era. Xavi came to define his time in a way few players did before, and likely few will again. He said after the match that he’ll miss Barca more than Barca will miss him. La Liga will miss him too.
