MY ACCOUNT
Xavi hopes to stay at Barcelona for “many years” but insists his main focus is on winning trophies, rather than extending his contract at Camp Nou.
The Blaugrana are on track for a treble this season. Nine points clear at the LaLiga summit, Xavi has already secured Supercopa de Espana glory, while Barca are also 1-0 to the good in their two-legged Copa del Rey semi-final tie with Real Madrid.
The former midfielder has one year remaining on his existing contract, although club president Joan Laporta revealed negotiations over a new deal were ongoing.
Xavi is hopeful those talks are successful and he can enjoy a lengthy reign at Barca, similar to that of Alex Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues during his 27-year tenure with Manchester United.
But that is not the 43-year-old’s primary objective.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Barcelona’s trip to Athletic Bilbao, he told reporters: “It’s difficult to be Ferguson in Barcelona. I love to be here. I suffer many days, but I am thankful to the president.
“He’s really happy. It’s great to have his support. He is a loyal man and hopefully I will stay here many years. But it will depend on all our results. Now is not the moment to talk about my contract.
“Of course, we are talking about this situation. We’ve been talking about a contract extension, but we need to be calm and focus on winning trophies.
“I still have one more year. We are close to winning trophies, and that’s the most important thing – not my contract, we need to win trophies.”
Barca will be eager to maintain their momentum ahead of next week’s blockbuster showdown with title rivals Real Madrid at Camp Nou, and Xavi has urged his players to retain their concentration levels.
“We are just focused on tomorrow’s game to keep the advantage of nine points,” he added. “With Real Madrid, that is crucial. Then, we will have the following week to focus on El Clasico.
“We need to keep this good advantage before the visit of Real Madrid, but [Athletic is] going to be a really tough game for sure.
“We are now in the most important part of the season. We need to play well, compete and win those games. These two weeks before the international break are crucial.”
