Garcia Pimienta signs his contract renewal

Francesc Xavier Garcia Pimienta has today signed his Barça B contract renewal, meaning that he will remain as coach until June 30, 2021, and the deal can be extended for another season. The event took place at the Estadi Johan Cruyff in the presence of the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, the manager responsible for Barça B, Xavier Vilajoana, and the technical secretary of professional football, Eric Abidal.

Francesc Xavier Garcia Pimienta was born on August 3, 1974 in Barcelona. In 1986 he started playing in the FC Barcelona youth teams until he reached Barça B, where he was part of the Quinta del Mini with players such as De la Peña, Celades, Quique Álvarez, Roger, Juan Carlos Moreno and Toni Velamazán. His best season was in 95/96, when he scored 8 goals in 35 matches, and made debut with the first team on May 26, 1996, against Deportivo. Since 2001 he has been coaching FC Barcelona's youth teams.

UEFA Youth League champion

After coaching several teams at La Masia, Garcia Pimienta spent two seasons as Barça B's assistant coach (from 2015 to 2017). At the beginning of the 2017/18 season, he went on to coach U19B, and shortly after, U19A. With the latter, he became league and UEFA Youth League champion in Nyon, winning the double. He took over the reins at Barça B at the end of the 2017/18 season, following the dismissal of Gerard López.

Barça B finished in eighth place in the 2018/19 season with a very young team, and this season they've qualified for the promotion play-off where they will face Valladolid Promesas next Sunday, July 19, the first round to be played at the Estadio Ciudad de Málaga.