Xavi Hernández wrapped up his time as Barcelona coach with a 2-1 triumph over Sevilla in the final round of the Spanish league on Sunday.
“We didn’t want this to end, but these are decisions made by the club,” Xavi said. “We didn’t win titles but we were on the right track. But soccer is like this, the directors will make their decisions. The response by the players was wonderful.”
After the match, Barcelona players bid farewell to Xavi.
“We will always wish Xavi the best,” said goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen. “He’s been a friend for many years and it’s not easy to let him go … He deserves the best.”
Barcelona had already secured second place and a spot in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia next season. The team concluded the season with four consecutive victories.
Youssef En-Nesyri scored for Sevilla, which ended the season in 14th place after four straight losses.
En-Nesyri’s goal came in the 31st minute, following Lewandowski’s opening goal for Barcelona in the 15th minute. López secured the win for the Catalan club in the 59th minute.
Xavi’s departure followed a month after he reversed an earlier decision from January to leave the club this summer. In April, he had stated that he decided to stay because the team was performing better and he believed it could recover from a trophy-less season.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta had publicly praised Xavi’s decision to stay at that time. However, last week the president reportedly became displeased when Xavi spoke openly about how the club’s poor financial situation would hinder its ability to compete with Real Madrid.
“Those who made the decision need to explain it,” said the 44-year-old Xavi, who plans to take a break from coaching.
There was little at stake in the league’s final round on Sunday. Champion Madrid, focused on the upcoming Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, played to a 0-0 draw with Real Betis on Saturday.
Barcelona, Girona, and Atletico Madrid secured the remaining Champions League spots for next season, while Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad qualified for the Europa League. Betis earned a berth in the Conference League.
The three relegated clubs were Cadiz, Almeria, and Granada.
In other results on Sunday, Mallorca won 2-1 at Getafe, Celta Vigo drew 2-2 with Valencia, and Alaves drew 1-1 at Las Palmas.
Girona striker Artem Dovbyk finished as the league’s top scorer this season with 24 goals, one more than Villarreal’s Alexander Sorloth. Lewandowski and Madrid’s Jude Bellingham were tied for third with 19 goals each.
Madrid ended the season with the best attack, scoring 87 goals, and the best defense, conceding only 26 goals.
