The Xavi era at Barcelona will soon be over. His exit had been coming for some time, with the pressure building on president Joan Laporta to wield the axe in recent weeks after a poor run of results. But it was the manager who made the call in the end, announcing last weekend that he will leave the post at the end of the season.
And it all makes a lot of sense. Xavi promised much with the delivery of a first Spanish title in four years last season, but has lost all of that momentum. Barca are languishing in fourth place in La Liga, already out of the Copa del Rey, and their hopes of salvaging something from the season hinge on a tricky Champions League last-16 tie with Napoli. It just wasn't good enough for a club that always expects to be competing for trophies right until the end of the campaign.
Still, his departure has been met with mixed reactions from across the footballing world. Some of his players have made their devastation clear, while the silence from others has been deafening. There will undoubtedly be a range of emotions from around La Liga, too. GOAL runs through the biggest winners and losers from something that probably had to happen for everyone's sake...
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