https://youtu.be/fvTCdZ2W_oEIt’s been three years since Xavi retired from football, but the Barcelona coach has lost none of his qualities as he wowed fans with a superb performance against Athletic Bilbao.
Barcelona beat Bilbao 4-0 at Camp Nou on Sunday thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele, Sergi Roberto, Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres.
The win moved Barcelona back to within three points of rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.
Dembele was the man of the match with his goal and three assists, but Barcelona coach Xavi also stood out, and not only for his tactical decisions during the match.
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In the 30th minute, with Barcelona already 3-0 up, Xavi expertly controlled a ball headed his way after Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon had cleared from the area.
The crowd at the Camp Nou let out an audible gasp as the manager continued with orders for his players.
“That’s just about the best control we’ve seen all night,” wrote the Premier Sports commentator.
Barcelona fans on social media were equally impressed with the former Spanish international.
“He would start in every team if he was still playing. What a maestro,” wrote another fan on Twitter.
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Another wrote: “The greatest GOAT midfielder.”
While a fourth joked: “When the coach has a better first touch than most of the players on the field on both sides.”
Xavi is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in football history.
He scored 85 goals in 767 games for Barcelona and is second in the list of all-time appearances for the Catalan club, behind only seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi.