Xavi Hernandez is well known as having a good relationship with Qatar. The Barcelona head coach played for Qatari side Al-Sadd upon leaving Barca in 2015, and went on to manage them between 2019 and 2021, before returning to take charge of the Blaugrana.
In his press conference ahead of Thursday’s Europa League knockout round second leg against Manchester United, Xavi was asked about Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who is in the running to become the new owner of the Premier League giants.
“I have a good relationship with the Sheikh and he’s a serious, responsible person and I think he would do a good job. I think it would be a very good option for United.”
Very few people will be surprised that Xavi has backed the Sheikh, considering his ties to Qatar. The Athletic reporter Adam Crafton has gone into detail on his relationship with the Gulf nation, in which he states that Xavi agreed a €1m-per-year deal to promote the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Nevertheless, Xavi’s full focus will be on making sure that his Barcelona side progress to the last 16 of the Europa League, but the match at Old Trafford will be far from easy.
