Barcelona

I Will Renew My Contract Soon - Xavi

Barcelona midfield maestro, Xavi Hernández has calmed the fears of his club and his fans by declaring that he will sign a contract extension shortly following drawn-out negotiations.

Nov 19, 2008 8:13:31 AM

Copa del Rey: Xavi - Barcelona-Valencia (Marca)

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Copa del Rey: Xavi - Barcelona-Valencia (Marca)

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Countless rumours about Xavi’s future at Barcelona have surfaced in recent weeks as both player and club labour to reach an agreement for a contract extension.

But in an interview with Ona FM radio program ‘La Graderia’, Xavi, who’s current term expires in 2010, announced that both parties are close to a resolution and that he could extend his stay at the Camp Nou for another three to four years.

“There has been a lot of good progress and shortly, I will be able to say that I will remain at Barça for years to come,” he said, before going on to add, “I will be delighted with the opportunity of ending my career here.”

The 28 year old then spoke about the cleverly orchestrated free-kick during last weekend’s 0-2 win at Recreativo Huelva where he set up Lionel Messi for the goal.

“We enjoy trying out these new moves very much. The coach said that we should save it for the game against Real Madrid, but rest assured, we still have many more alternatives,” he confessed.

Finally, Xavi echoed his teammate Samuel Eto’o’s assessment to French newspaper L’Equipe about the club’s capitulation over the past two years.

“We put too much confidence on our coach (Rijkaard). The discipline was missing and he believed too strongly in self-management in the dressing room,” the midfielder concluded.

KS Leong