There was a beautiful moment during Barcelona's June 6th Champions League final against Juventus in which Andres Iniesta handed the captain's armband to Xavi Hernandez for what would be the latter player's last-ever appearance at the club. It was the 78th minute of the match and Barca were up one, looking at their second treble win in history. Xavi, the club's captain, came off the bench to replace Inietsa (the current vice captain) for the final minutes of the match. The exchange of the captain's armband was an almost ceremonial way to mark the moment as Xavi exits FC Barcelona following a long and successful career.
Next year, Hernandez will trade the Barcelona football jersey for an Al Sadd SC jersey. (Al Sadd is a Qatar-based football club.) However, even though he is moving on to the next (and likely last) stage of his playing career, the 35-year-old Spanish midfielder will always be thought of first and foremost as a key cog in the Barcelona football squad.
Xavi's Barca Career
Indeed, Hernandez has been a constant at Barcelona for literally the entirety of his career. After participating in the club's youth program from 1991 to 1997, he joined Barcelona's B squad in 1997. A 39-appearance season in 1997 1998 made Xavi a natural call-up for the senior team. He played as part of 
both the A and B squads in 1998 and 1999, but by 2000, he was a permanent part of the top-flight Barca lineup.
Even as he grew older and passed through the prime of his career, Xavi hardly lost pace. In 2014 2015, he made appearances in 31 of Barca's 38 La Liga games, and added another 13 appearances in cup and continental play. He didn't become the club captain until this year, but judging by Barca's near-perfect treble-winning season, he was a strong leader for the dynamic and talented team. It was a fitting end, and final season as Xavi exits FC Barcelona for pastures new.
A Barcelona Record Holder
Unsurprisingly, Xavi's long career and consistent presence on the soccer pitch made him the most prolific player in Barcelona's history. With 505 league appearances under his belt, Hernandez has made considerably more appearances than any other Barca player. His closest competitor-Carlos Puyol, who exited the club last year-still had 113 fewer appearances than Hernandez.
Current Barca footballers Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi are also in the top 10 for total apps, but will have difficulty surpassing the great Hernandez. Iniesta has made 361 league appearances at Barcelona, while Messi has 315.
Xavi's record becomes even more impressive when you add in cup and continental play. At the June 6th Champions League final, he made his 767th overall appearance in the Barcelona soccer jersey. To put that in perspective, Puyol's total was 593, Iniesta's is 549, and Messi's is 482. Needless to say, Hernandez is going to be at the top of this list for a very long time.
An Exclusive Group
In fact, by passing the 500-appearance mark for league play, Xavi has joined a very exclusive group in the annals of Spanish football history. As FC Barcelona noted following Xavi's 500th league appearance (on April 25th, 2015), he is only the eighth player ever to make 500 La Liga appearances.
Furthermore, of the other players who have done it, he is just the fourth Spanish player to make 500 or more league appearances with a single club. The first three to accomplish the feat were Raul Gonzalez, Manolo Sanchis, and Iker Casillas-all Real Madrid stars.
Parting Words
As Xavi exits Barcelona and prepares to depart for Al Sadd, he had a few words of wisdom for his longtime club.
The first was that Luis Enrique should keep his job for the 2015 2016 season. Enrique's future at Camp Nou seemed uncertain, due to reported disagreements with Lionel Messi and other players. Even after winning the treble in his first season as manager, Enrique was a question mark. But Xavi said that "the best thing for next year is for Luis Enrique to stay," and the club listened to his advice: Enrique's contract has officially been renewed through 2017.
Hernandez also said that 26-year-old defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets should take over his captaincy. In Xavi's words, Busquets is "destined to be the team's leader for the next decade."
Regardless of what happens after he is gone, though, there is no doubt that Xavi Hernandez leaves Barcelona as one of the greatest to ever play the game. Celebrate his long and incredible career at Camp Nou. Pick up a Barcelona jersey at Soccer Box!
