Xavi: From youth team to manager

Xavi Hernández is the eighth graduate of the FC Barcelona youth system who has gone on to manage the senior team. Here’s a reminder of the seven men in whose footsteps he is following  

Ramon Llorens (1950)

Llorens spent his whole life at FC Barcelona. He played in goal for Barça Amateur (the precursor to Barça B) and then the first team, and as a manager he was fantastic at spotting potential stars, with Biosca and Manchón among his most outstanding discoveries. 

After him, we have Josep Seguer (1969-1970) and Paco Rodri (1974), although for too short periods to have any major impact. Seguer had been a cornerstone of the legendary ‘Five Cups’ squad, who stepped in as caretaker boos following the departure of Salvador Artigas. And Rodri, who had played under the great Helenio Herrera, was assistant to all of Buckingham, Michels, Hennes Weisweiler and Laureano Ruiz. He never coached the first team on a permanent basis, but did so several times as a temporary stand-in. 

Joaquim Rifé (1979-1980)

With a massive 562 appearances for the team, Rifé then returned as part of the coaching staff. He took over the reins of the first team in 1978/79, working in tandem with Torres, and won the Cup Winners’ Cup in Basel that year.

Carles Rexach (2001-2002)

Rexach rose up the ranks in the Barça youth system, and became a central component of the team in the seventies. As a player he forged a close relationship with Johan Cruyff, which they would continue later as coaches. He is best known as Cruyff’s assistant at the helm of the great Dream Team of the nineties, although he had previously served under Luis Aragonés (1987/88). He was first team manager for the 2001/02 season, taking over at a very difficult time for the team. 

Josep Guardiola (2008-2012)

Pep Guardiola had been shining for years at La Masia, and made his first team debut in 1990/91, going on to become the finest exponent of Cruyff’s style in the famous Dream Team. 

He had a glittering career as a player, and an even more glittering one when he became coach, and that was despite taking over a faltering squad that hadn’t won any silverware for two years. 

Everything changed under Guardiola. The Barça style reached its epitome, with a beautiful passing and possession game that produced goals after goals and dazzled the world. Guardiola literally redefined football.

In four seasons, he won an incredible 14 trophies, including two Champions Leagues – the most glorious period in club history.  

Tito Vilanova (2012-2013)

The late Tito Vilanova was 15 when he joined Barça, and at La Masia he forged close relationships with Guardiola, Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira, with whom he would later work closely in management, and particularly the former, who he assisted throughout his four years of unrelenting success on the Barça bench. 

Following Guardiola’s departure in 2012, Vilanova was his natural successor, and he guided Barça to its best Liga season ever, amassing a record 100 points in the championship. However, with his health ailing, his assistant Jordi Roura (2013) stepped in to manage the first team, thus adding another name to our list of former youth players who ended up coaching the first team. 

Last but not least, we have the fleeting case of Sergi Barjuan (2021), who had excelled at La Masia before governing the left back role from 1993 to 2002. He has been running the team since the departure of Ronald Koeman, preparing the groundwork for the arrival of Xavi, who curiously, played himself under four of the managers that we have named above.