Xavi spent 17 years with Barcelona’s first team, where he won eight La Liga titles and four Champions League trophies.
He also secured several domestic cups, including the Copa del Rey three times. In addition, Xavi made over 100 appearances for the Spanish national team, winning three major trophies, including the FIFA World Cup in 2010.
The 44-year-old ended his playing career in 2019 after four years at Al Sadd. In 2020, he revealed who he believes are the four greatest players in football history. Two of them were his former teammates at Barcelona, including Lionel Messi. The other two were renowned players with impressive records for both club and country.
Xavi has played in Champions League and World Cup finals, winning trophies alongside some of the greatest footballers the game has ever seen. When asked to name the four best players in football history during an interview with Globo Esporte, he said:
“Messi is the best in history, but Ronaldinho is among the best. The others come after.
“He [Ronaldinho] is among the best – with Ronaldo ‘El Fenómeno,’ with Cristiano Ronaldo, with Messi, that group.
“Ronaldinho is at the level of the best, but maybe what he lacked was consistency.
“Perhaps he lacked the consistency to stay at the very top level. For me, only Messi is above Ronaldinho because of his consistency over the years.”
