Barcelona coach Xavi intends to take a year off once he steps down at the end of the season.

AS says Xavi has decided to take a sabbatical year after ending his, perhaps, first stage as Barça coach.

The former midfielder has not had a break from football for 28 years. From 1998 to 2015, he played in the Barça first team and from there he jumped to Al Sadd, where he continued his career as a player and then began his career as a coach in 2019.

Xavi had already made it clear, on the day of his resignation announcement, the reasons for his departure.

There was the professional complaint (his work at Barça was not recognised), but also some personal reasons. Xavi was not enjoying the drill of Monday to Friday and his family was also suffering in the process. With two children, he believes it is time to give them some time back.

However, he remains a fulltime coach and wants to continue developing his career. As such, he would break his sabbatical should an irrefutable proposal arrive.