Xavi Hernandez's plan: a good opportunity for "the difficult circumstances of the Saudi national team".. the revolution is guaranteed but success is in doubt!

Xavi Hernandez has caught the football world off guard over the past two days with his plans for the next chapter of his coaching career.

Speaking to "RNE Deportes", the young Spaniard revealed he wants to manage national teams rather than clubs in the coming years, and for two reasons:

* First: club football keeps him away from his family.

* Second: international management would give him the time to plan properly, both on the pitch and in his personal life.

Xavi threw the door open to every national team, whether in Europe, Africa or Asia.

He would love to be in the dugout at a World Cup, the Spaniard added, or even at a continental tournament: "the Euros, the Asian Cup, the Africa Cup of Nations".

All of which raises one big question: "Could Xavi Hernandez one day take charge of the Saudi Arabia senior national football team?!".

Why Saudi Arabia in particular? Because Xavi has been linked with the Kingdom's clubs and its national team before, most recently in April 2026, according to the sports journalist Sultan Al-Otaibi at the time.

Picking up where we left off, let us weigh up how far Spanish head coach Xavi Hernandez could succeed with the Saudi Arabia national football team, should he take on the job in future.

Xavi brings a set of qualities that could serve him well with the Saudi national team, as follows:

* 1/ His knowledge of the Gulf region

Xavi knows the Gulf well, along with the working conditions there, thanks to a full six years at Qatari club Al-Sadd.

Yes. Xavi wore the Al-Sadd shirt as a player between 2015 and 2019, before taking over as head coach of the first team until November 2021.

* 2/ His refusal to run from responsibility

Whatever you make of Xavi Hernandez, the former player turned head coach has proven he never runs from responsibility.

He agreed to take charge of Barcelona during one of the darkest periods in the club's history, with the side collapsing on the pitch and off it, in November 2021.

His arrival came when every big-name coach was fleeing the responsibility of an entity that size in such a state.

Despite a lack of success overall, Xavi won the league and Spanish Super Cup double with Barcelona in the 2022-2023 season.

* 3/ Courage in relying on youth

During his time at Barcelona, the head coach had the courage to lean on plenty of young stars.

Believe it or not. Xavi had no fear about fielding a 15-year-old in the Barcelona first team, the Spanish jewel Lamine Yamal, now rated among the best players in the world.

He also handed a debut to Spanish defender Pau Cubarsi at the age of sixteen, later named best young player at the 2026 World Cup, on top of gambling on names that were obscure at the time, such as Fermin Lopez and others.

That brings us to the link between all of this and the prospect of Spanish head coach Xavi Hernandez taking charge of the Saudi Arabia senior national football team.

Saudi football is going through a difficult spell, and everyone knows it. The national team needs a head coach who possesses the following qualities:

* 1/ He knows how to deal with the Saudi and Gulf mentality.

* 2/ He has plenty of courage for "replacement and renewal".

* 3/ He can cope with pressure and doesn't run from it.

Xavi Hernandez ticks every box. As mentioned, he spent six years living in Qatar, and he led the "replacement and renewal" at Catalan giants Barcelona through one of their toughest periods.

On paper, then, Xavi could be the ideal coach to take the Saudi Arabia senior national football team forward, spark a revolution of replacement and renewal, and drag them through the difficulties.

So, after all of the above, one question still hangs in the air: "Is the success of Spanish head coach Xavi Hernandez guaranteed with the Saudi Arabia national team, if he takes on the task in the future?!".

The answer, of course, is "no". Xavi never delivered as expected at Catalan giants Barcelona, and his time with Qatari club Al-Sadd swung between success and failure across domestic and continental competitions.

Why has he fallen short as a coach despite the huge expectations around him? It comes down to a couple of personal decisions, as follows:

* Firstly: He wants a backroom staff made up of people he trusts, even if that means sacrificing quality.

* Secondly: He insists on a specific style of play, one that demands a particular type of player.

Take his assistant, for instance: his own brother, a man short on experience. Barcelona floated other names to join his staff and Xavi flatly refused.

During his Barcelona spell, he also demanded specific star names and nobody else, pinning his success with the first team on getting those players alone.

All of this casts serious doubt over whether Xavi can succeed with Saudi Arabia, or any other national team, because he has never confronted his past mistakes or learned from them.

Click here to read article