Barcelona is expected to get stronger under new head coach Xavi Hernandez. Meanwhile, the club has made its first signing under him, with Dani Alves returning.
Spanish giant Barcelona will now expect itself to get back to its old glory days with club veteran Xavi Hernandes returning to the club, this time, as the head coach. Meanwhile, the club has also made its first signing under him by re-signing legendary veteran club defender Dani Alves from São Paulo.
On Friday, the club announced that the Brazilian is expected to begin training with the club from next week. However, he would not be able to play until January, when the transfer window officially opens. "Six years later, Xavi Hernández and Dani Alves are back together at FC Barcelona. The difference is that the former is returning as first-team coach, while the 38-year-old Brazilian is here to play for the second time in his career," Barca said in a statement.
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The Dani-Xavi connection comes full circle pic.twitter.com/1WkcuD8Er4
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)Alves had first joined the Catalan in 2008-09. Despite being a defender, like a typical Brazilian, he also liked to attack and scored 21 goals in 391 matches across competitions. He won 23 titles with the club, including six La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League, along with three FIFA Club World Cup titles.
After leaving Barca in 2016-17, he joined Italian giant Juventus for a season before moving to French giant Pars Saint-Germain (PSG) for a couple of seasons, while he returned to Brazil in 2019, playing for São Paulo. Although it is unclear how he would make an impact at the club at the age of 38, his veteran experience could surely come in handy. Barca is currently in a doubtful position in La Liga, placed ninth, as it would desperately hope for Xavi to turn things around and battle for top-four.