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Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic lauded teammate Lionel Messi, after the Argentine was pivotal for the Catalans in their 4-2 win over Tottenham.
Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has told TV3 he is not ready to become the club’s coach despite comparisons to Pep Guardiola.
Xavi, 38, joined Al-Sadd in 2015 after ending a Barcelona career in which he won 25 major trophies, including eight La Liga titles and three Champions Leagues.
He is still with the Qatari side, but many in Spain have tipped him to follow in Guardiola’s footsteps and return to the Camp Nou as manager.
“I have a part [of the coaching licenses to be a manager],” he said. “I still have one more year left to get the UEFA pro licence to be able to coach the big clubs in Europe.
“Now, for example, I can train Qatar and in small countries, football-wise. At Barca I could train the youth team. Next year in May I hope to get the UEFA pro licence [enabling him to train any team].
“People go faster than what I think. It has always happened to me. When I was a player they talked about the new Guardiola, and I did not see that myself. I needed two three years to see [myself playing in that role].
“Now it’s the same as a manager. I still don’t see myself as ready and prepared to do it. They say Xavi will be the future Barcelona manager, but we must be patient because I still don’t see it.”
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