Barcelona lining up club legend to replace Xavi if he steps down as head coach

Barcelona are lining up a club legend to replace Xavi if he steps down from his role as head coach of the club.

Reports in Spain have cast doubts over the future of Xavi with recent defeats to Royal Antwerp in the Champions League and Girona in La Liga.

The Catalan giants are currently third in the table, nine points off shock leaders Girona and seven off rivals Real Madrid in second as they look to claw their way back into title contention.

As a result, hopes of retaining the league title for the first time since 2019 are dwindling but success in Europe has seen them reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time in three years.

However, if Xavi were to depart, it has been claimed Barcelona have already lined up his replacement in the form of former player and club legend Rafael Marquez.

The Mexican is currently the manager of Barcelona Athletic, the reserve side of the first team who currently play in the third tier.

Marquez, a former teammate of Xavi, made 242 appearances for Barca and won La Liga on four occasions.

He was also a part of their 2006 and 2009 Champions League-winning squads.

He went on to play in the MLS later in his career, reuniting with former teammate Thierry Henry before eventually returning to his home country where he won the Liga MX.

It's not a surprise that any replacement for Xavi would come from within.

Barcelona have a long history of appointing former players as managers and giving the top job to the manager of their reserve team.

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Legendary player and manager Pep Guardiola managed Barcelona B before being given the top job in 2008 and Luis Enrique also managed the reserve side early on in his career.

However, given the turmoil surrounding the club over the last few years, Xavi has done remarkably well to win domestic silverware competing against a strong Real outfit.

It would be a surprise if he resigned and sacking him part way through the season and just seven months after winning the league would seem unjust.