The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) got stunned while searching for a new head coach, when they saw Xavi Hernandez's name in the list of interested candidates. As per a report from TOI, Xavi's name was present along with the likes of ex-India head coach Stephen Constantine, former Liverpool player Harry Kewell etc.
According to the report, Xavi sent the application from his own email id, but the column of contact number was surprisingly empty.
“It’s correct that Xavi’s name was there. The application was emailed to the AIFF,” confirmed AIFF's national team director Subrata Paul.
Due to financial constraints Xavi's application has been rejected. "Even if Xavi was genuinely interested in Indian football and could be convinced to take up the job, we would need a lot of money," A member of the technical committee told TOI.
Earlier, Xavi revealed in an interview that he follows Indian football a lot due to the presence of many Spanish coaches in the Indian Super League.
Xavi enjoyed decent success as Barcelona's head coach, as he led them to the 2023 Supercopa de Espana and the 2022-23 La Liga title. During his playing days, he was known for his brilliant passing ability. He spent his prime at Barcelona, and is also a La Masia product.
He appeared in 767 official games for Barcelona, he paired with Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets in the mid-field. He won five la Liga titles, three Copa del Rey and three Champions League titles with Barca. He left the Spanish club in 2015 and joined Al Asadd, where he added four more titles before retiring in 2019. He won UEFA Euro in 2008 and 2013, and also the 2010 FIFA World Cup.