Xavi will leave Barcelona at the conclusion of the season, citing a "lack of respect" and mental exhaustion.
"I would like to announce that on June 30 I will cease being the coach of Barça," Xavi said. "As a Barcelona fan, I can not allow this situation to continue, we need a change of course and of dynamics." Xavi claimed to have made the decision "several days ago," and although the difficult loss to Villarreal set the scene for him to announce the decision, he "would have made" it sooner.
The announcement came just minutes after Barcelona was defeated 5-3 by Villarreal in the Spanish league, dropping them 10 points behind leaders Real Madrid.
"Being the coach of Barcelona wears you down, affects your mental health and your emotions, to the point that you say you can not carry on. My loved ones know that," Xavi stated. "It is cruel, unpleasant, and you feel like you do not get the respect you deserve."
With only a brief stint in Qatar under his belt, Xavi rejoined Barcelona as coach in November 2021 and is under contract through the end of the following season.
The 44-year-old Xavi guided the team to its first league and Spanish Super Cup titles in the previous season—the first since Lionel Messi's departure—after the club mortgaged its future to fund the signing of players like Robert Lewandowski. However, Barcelona has struggled this year and has shown serious signs of impending collapse this month.
Barcelona's two best chances of winning a title this season have vanished recently. Two weeks after Real Madrid destroyed Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, Xavi's team lost 4-2 in extra time to Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday to advance to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
Xavi claimed that his players lacked the "maturity" to know how to hold onto leads after the Villarreal disaster, and he also emphasized after the Bilbao loss that he was playing with a number of young players.
However, that seemed at odds with the fact that his starting lineup included players in their prime like Pedri González and Frenkie de Jong, as well as veterans like Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan. Barcelona will play Napoli in the Champions League round of 16 next month. Xavi added that he was still driven to guide the team at what is undoubtedly a long shot bid at ending his stint with a European Cup.