Former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez has been confirmed as the new manager at Qatari club Al Sadd, via a statement.
The 39-year-old brought his illustrious playing career to a close this month with the Qatari club as he begins his management career with the club.
In an interview earlier this month, the former Spain international confirmed he wants to take the helm at the Camp Nou in the future.
“My idea is to start managing here in Qatar to gain experience,” Xavi told EFE press agency, as cited by Marca.
“This will set me up to return to European football and yes, hopefully it will be Barcelona, but right now I am not in that position.
“I am not ready to take this sort of role at top level and I need to be able to take small steps before reaching my ultimate goal.
“I have many ideas and concepts of how I want football to be played and how I would like to pass that on to future players.
“I have always been a massive admirer of how Barcelona play, their control of the game and their style – it is something I want to reflect in my own career as Coach.”
Xavi scored 85 goals in 767 first-team appearances for the Blaugrana across 16 seasons, where he won 25 trophies including eight La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.
He retired from playing earlier this month, having made 115 appearances for Al Sadd.
