Barcelona’s Former $95M Star Advises Xavi Not To Replace Koeman As Barca’s Boss

Former Barcelona star Luis Suarez has advised Xavi Hernandez not to replace Ronald Koeman as the Catalans’ boss.

Barcelona legend Xavi, who is a product of the club’s youth academy La Masia, spent 18 years at Camp Nou. During his time with his boyhood club, Xavi helped them win many trophies, including eight La Liga titles and four Champions League titles.

Xavi’s last campaign at Barcelona – the 2014-15 season – was Suarez’s first with the Camp Nou side. A side comprising stars such as Xavi, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Andres Iniesta among others won a treble in 2014-15: La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey.

During the 2021 summer window, Suarez reportedly did not leave Barcelona on good terms. Following his $7 million move from Camp Nou to Wanda Metropolitano, Suarez led Atletico Madrid to their first La Liga title since the 2013-14 season.

Meanwhile, Barcelona currently are facing major issues, both on and off the field. They are experiencing a financial crisis and also a transition phase after losing several key players, including Messi and Antoine Griezmann.

As Koeman is close to being sacked as Barcelona’s head coach, Suarez believes Xavi must wait a while longer before taking up the position in the Camp Nou dugout.

"As a football fan and what he has done as a player, I don't think today, tomorrow or the day after is the right time to take charge [of Barcelona]. [Xavi] is intelligent and knows the difficulty of the club. He has to bide his time. He has ex-teammates at the club that he will have to make decisions with and it's going to be difficult," Suarez, told Spanish media outlet RTVE.

Meanwhile, Suarez, who had moved from Liverpool to Barcelona on a $95 million transfer in 2014, also added that he will never forget the way he was treated at the Catalan club towards the end of his stint. He was made to train alone at Camp Nou on the instructions from Koeman.

"Karma, destiny, that they despise you, because I have not forgotten that last year in pre-season, [Barcelona] sent me to train on my own to make me angry, and I was a professional [despite that], as the coach said. I was a professional and I would train every day without pouting because that is what I have to do, because I am like that and fate will have its own end," added Suarez, who was a part of Barcelona for six full seasons.