Xavi: "Pep stopped me from joining Bayern in 2008"

The Spain international has revealed that the Bavarians made a 'serious' approach for his services but that he is now glad that he was persuaded to remain in Catalunya
Xavi has revealed that current Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola stopped him from leaving Barcelona for the German side in 2008.

Fresh from helping Spain lift the European Championship that summer, the midfielder was approached by the Bavarians and actually held preliminary talks over a move to the Allianz Arena.

However, Xavi explains that Guardiola, who taken charge of Barca that summer, persuaded him to remain in Catalunya.

"It was pretty serious," Xavi says of the proposed transfer in an interview with El Mundo Deportivo. "There was even a meeting with a coach of Bayern.

"But Pep grabbed me and told me that I could not go; that what he had in mind for the club revolved around a group of certain players who could not leave.

"It was a good decision because my desire now is to retire at Barca."

Indeed, Xavi has played down talk of a move to MLS to link up with former Blaugrana team-mate Thierry Henry at New York Red Bulls.

"Nobody has offered me anything," the 33-year-old insisted. "I know nothing of the interest from New York. Henry has not called me and I have not spoken to him. I don't even have his phone number!"

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2014/01/16/4547826/xavi-guardiola-stopped-me-from-joining-bayern-in-2008

Omg Pep why   Imagine Xavi in our team with Robben and Ribery back than

-----------van Bommel
-------Xavi-------Schweinsteiger

2009



  

wasnt kroos sent at leverkusen?

And lol at barca accepting bayern offer

You are right so:

Schweinsteiger
Xavi - Alaba
Robben - Müller - Ribery

van Bommel
Xavi Schweinsteiger
Ribery Robben
Klose/Gomez/Olic

Mr Nick09 wrote:And lol at barca accepting bayern offer

Imagine if it went through

Dat treble would have never been

BAYERN_MUNICH wrote:You are right so:

Schweinsteiger
Xavi - Alaba
Robben - Müller - Ribery

alaba couldnt even get games with bayern back then, and muller was hardly around. Luca Toni and Gomez were playing a lot more.

since when have you been supporting Bayern mate? 

well, Pep obviously knew what he was doing.

Alaba made his debut in like 2010 in a CL game against Viola if i remember correctly.

Putting him ahead of Bayern's leader and captain(Van Bommel)

in 2008 Alaba was 15, and we still had Ottl in midfield lol

*cough*bandwagon*cough*

we still love u dawg

BAYERN_MUNICH is posting his formation in regards to what he feels would/should be the current formation and system if Xavi were still present in Bayern.

Not of 2008.

Mr Nick09 wrote:

BAYERN_MUNICH wrote:You are right so:

Schweinsteiger
Xavi - Alaba
Robben - Müller - Ribery

alaba couldnt even get games with bayern back then, and muller was hardly around. Luca Toni and Gomez were playing a lot more.

since when have you been supporting Bayern mate? 

I was registered in the goal.com forum and this for about 2 yrs ...so

And i posted the formation I would have put on the field btw.

2008 was when Klinsmann took over. Dark times. I guess that also was the season when we got embarassed 4:0 at the Camp Nou, where even Lahm was injured and Lell was defending against Messi

So I think everything went just fine the way it went, Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta under Pep is something we wouldn't want to have missed, and we went our own way, a little later, after Klinsmann lol.

btw, Schweinsteiger in those times was still struggling somewhere on the fringes, it took van Gaal to put him where he could blossom.

Oh how I hated Schweinsteiger that times when he was a winger

Always making side/back passes no runs , ultra slow

Gerrard and Alonso higher than Xavi? Must be a Liverpool fan...

Gerrard & Pirlo were above Xavi at certain points in their careers. Can't really say the same for Alonso and Schweinsteiger.

Peak Xavi is above peak Pirlo. Some might disagree I guess.0

But both certainly above the rest.

He was about to join Milan when he was young but his mother stopped him.

Xavi and Pirlo AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (probably would not fit together tho)

Wouldn't have worked, the coach would have soon figured out that Pirlo needs two defensive partners to do the dirty work alongside him whereas Xavi is more than capable of doing dirty work himself, and this tactical flexibility would therefore cause Pirlo to get benched in Xavi's favor.  

 

Xavi in Italy would have been a sight to behold

After Juve game: Calcio lost today.