Xavi Hernández faces turbulent debut with Netherlands vs Germany
In the Johan Cruyff Stadium in Amsterdam, Xavi Hernández, newly appointed Dutch manager, steps onto the pitch under the press lights. Today he begins his tenure against Germany, and he does so without any player among the thirty Ballon d'Or candidates.
A complicated debut
The Spanish coach does not have it easy in his debut against Germany. Moreover, he leads a national team whose past is filled with stars, but sparsely decorated with trophies.
The present situation is tricky: none of the thirty Ballon d'Or candidates is part of the squad, highlighting the scarcity of established figures.
The youngsters he saved
In the list of prospects, Cubarsí and Lamine Yamal do appear, two academy players who debuted under Xavi and whose management prevented them from moving to City and PSG, respectively. Cubarsí, fifteen years old, wanted to go to Girona of the City Group and then to Manchester, but a call from Óscar Hernández promised him a good professional contract at sixteen and pre‑season with the first team, changing his path.
Xavi or Klopp: Who starts strong as the Netherlands' head coach?
Lamine Yamal, also fifteen, debuted to show the boy and his then‑agent Iván de la Peña that they counted on him for the first team and to halt his move to Paris. The rest is history, like the discovery of Fermín, another Barça talent who would have been lost without the insistence of the one from Terrassa.
Xavi never wanted to drop either Raphinha, Pedri, or Araujo, as has been rumored to damage his reputation. According to him, in the weeks before his departure from Barça, Alejandro Echevarría spoke to those players saying that Xavi wanted to sell them, but the only departure he requested was that of Lewandowski.
It is surprising that, many months later, when Xavi begins an exciting spell with the Netherlands, they continue trying to tarnish his name and his reputation as a Barça myth with golden letters.
With Xavi's arrival, the national team seeks to reinvent itself and show that, despite the lack of Ballon d'Or stars, the project can thrive under his leadership.