Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is reportedly in danger of losing his job, despite the fact that players and manager considered him the fourth-best coach in football last year. Xavi finished the FIFA Best Awards fourth, just missing out on the podium.
The award is chosen by vote from international captains and managers, and Pep Guardiola unsurprisingly came first after delivering the Champions League to Manchester City in 2023, although Lionel Messi was the shock winner ahead of Erling Haaland. Aitana Bonmati won the women’s award, completing her clean sweep of individual prizes including the 2023 World Cup.
Diario AS report that Guardiola came out top with 28 points, Luciano Spalleti came second with 18 for bringing the Scudetto back to Napoli, and Simone Inzaghi pipped Xavi to third, finishing level on 12 points. While Guardiola topped the list for most, Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva, Virgil van Dijk, Alvaro Morata and Heung-Min Son all included Xavi in their top three.
This is despite the fact Xavi is now under pressure for his job, a little more than half a year on from winning La Liga. Recent reports say Barcelona are just a few results away from sacking Xavi, and certainly after humiliating defeat to Real Madrid, the Blaugrana will be on high alert. Guardiola did defend Xavi’s work at the awards ceremony, focusing the attention on the players.
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