XAV THAT
Barcelona SACK club legend Xavi just weeks after contract U-turn – and announce replacement 20 minutes later
The new manager was the first ever to be sacked by his last employer
BARCELONA have axed Xavi and appointed Hansi Flick as his replacement.
Xavi, 44, announced in January that he was going to quit at the end of the season before a shock move saw him change his mind.
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The Barca legend was convinced to stay after a meeting with president Joan Laporta last month and he signed a new contract until 2025.
But in a now double U-turn, Xavi has been fired after the pair reportedly clashed as he bemoaned the club's toxic environment behind-the-scenes and their poor financial situation.
Xavi previously told the press: "To the new manager, I tell you: 'You will suffer'.
"This is a very complicated place to be. This is a difficult job and you have to be patient.
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"I have the feeling that everything I have done in these two-and-a-half years has caused an earthquake."
Barcelona confirmed his departure in a that read: "The club wishes to publicly thanks Xavi and the rest of his coaching staff for their commitment, dedication and generosity, and for their help in reaching an agreement to sever the contract.
"Furthermore, we wish him success in the future on both a personal and professional level."
But just 20 minutes after Xavi's exit was made public, the club unveiled Flick as their new manager.
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The ex-Bayern Munich and Germany gaffer has signed a contract until 2026 at the Nou Camp.
Flick, 59, first made a name for himself at Hoffenheim in the early 2000s.
Xavi announces he's stepping down as Barcelona coach at the end of the season
He then worked as assistant to legendary boss Joachim Low as the German national team won the 2014 World Cup.
He then landed the Bayern job and helped them win the Treble in 2020, getting the best out of now Barca striker Robert Lewandowski.
But a year later, Flick left Bavaria to become Germany manager - but he was sacked just 25 games into his reign.
A poor 2022 World Cup showing saw them crash out in the group stages and as poor form continued in the build-up to Euro 2024, he became the first man to ever to be sacked as boss by the German FA.
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