Doha: Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez was officially unveiled by Al Sadd yesterday and said he was “proud” to now be playing for the Qatari side.
Mobbed when he arrived in Doha on Tuesday, the legendary midfielder was again greeted by hundreds of fans as he was officially unveiled by club officials.
A packed room applauded him into the press conference, young fans pressed against the glass windows to get a better look of their new hero and Xavi even managed to raise a laugh when he said the Arabic word for thank you, “shukran”, after being asked if he intended to learn the local language.
“Shukran... Shukran is the first [word]. I’ll try to learn it. My wife wants to learn it too. We have time. We are going to try to learn it. We’ll start with ‘Shukran’ and then we’ll see,” he said.
As in the majority of his career, Xavi did not put a foot wrong.
He thanked Al Sadd club, the Qatari people, praised the 2022 World Cup bid and even found time to acknowledge Qatar’s successful Spanish handball coach Valero Rivera Lopez, who was among the crowd.
“I am very, very proud to be part and parcel of Al Sadd Football Club,” said the 35-year-old.
“I hope I will be able to lift all titles with this very important club and continue with my achievements,” Xavi added.
“I would like to thank Al Sadd Sports Club and all the Qatari people.”
Xavi said he would like to end his career in Qatar and then go on to coach.
He did not rule out returning to Spain as a coach.
“I would like to continue as a coach, after that I will see what happens.”
He also defended his role as an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup after the bidding process became engulfed by the ongoing FIFA corruption scandal.
“There’s no doubt it’s an amazing project and all the Qatari people are working to achieve great results,” he said.
“I would also like to learn a new culture of football and I hope that I will be able to learn so many things not only football but also about Arab culture.”
By the time he had finished speaking — and was mobbed again on the way out of the press room — Xavi number six shirts were already on sale downstairs in the club lobby for QR180 ($50).
“I am here to see Xavi Hernandez, because I am a big fan of Xavi, of Barcelona, and I love him,” said Mohammad Sailfiti, a 22-year-old Jordanian fan, wearing the Catalan club’s shirt.
His friend, Khaled Marridi, also 22 and also wearing a Barcelona shirt, said Xavi would be a big success.
“I think he will be the (Qatar) coach for the 2022 World Cup,” he said.
Those two fans were among the first to turn up for the early evening press conference, but a big crowd, some even wearing Real Madrid shirts, had assembled by the time Xavi’s appearance was due to start.
In truth, Xavi would have had to have done something dramatic not to get a good reception.
Barcelona are extremely popular in Qatar, not only because of their recent successes but also because of the shirt sponsorship deals with Qatar Foundation and then Qatar Airways.
He is also not the first Spaniard to play in Qatar — Raul and Fernando Hierro played here briefly as well.
And it is clear some fans do not want the Barcelona connection to stop with Xavi.
“I dream about Lionel Messi to come here to Qatar but maybe after 10 years. I would like to see more players here,” added Sailfiti.
AFP
