Xavi in his “farewell match”: I leave Barcelona with a “clear conscience.”

Xavi Hernandez bid farewell to his club Barcelona on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Sevilla in his final match after the club announced his dismissal. This match concluded the 38th and final stage of the Spanish La Liga.

Barcelona dismissed their coach on Friday after he failed to win any titles this season, finishing in second place behind their rivals, Real Madrid, who took the championship.

On the eve of the match, Xavi said that he leaves the Catalan club with a “clear conscience.”

Xavi’s career with Barcelona

Under Xavi’s leadership, Barcelona won the league title last season, but they were unable to defend the title this season against their historic rivals, Real Madrid.

The team was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain (losing 6-4 on aggregate), lost the Spanish Super Cup final to Real Madrid, and was knocked out of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals by Athletic Bilbao.

Barcelona’s new coach

Barcelona has not yet announced the identity of the new coach, but according to media reports, the chances of former Germany and Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick succeeding Xavi appear high.

In the match, Polish striker Robert Lewandowski (15) and Fermín López (59) scored for Barcelona, while Moroccan forward Youssef En-Nesyri (31) scored for Sevilla.

Barcelona finished the season with 85 points in second place, while Sevilla, who had a weak season, remained in 14th place with 41 points. This poor performance led some fans to protest against the board of directors before the match, wearing black clothes and entering the stadium 10 minutes after the kickoff.

German goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen praised his coach Xavi, telling DAZN: “Firstly, as a professional, he gave us a lot, he worked every day so we could succeed.”

He continued, “We thank him a lot for his time. We wish him the best. On a personal level, he has been a friend for many years, and it’s never easy to see him go.”