Xavier Hernández Creus, simply known as Xavi, (born January 25, 1980 in Terrassa, Catalonia) is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for FC Barcelona of the Spanish La Liga and the Spanish national team. His most usual demarcations are defensive midfielder and attacking midfielder.
Xavi was recruited into the youth system of Barcelona in 1991. In 1998 he debuted playing for Barcelona in La Liga. In 1999, due to the exit of Josep Guardiola, Xavi was a starter for the most part of the season and currently holds this position. He was a member of the Spanish team competing at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. His exceptional passing and ball control played an important role in helping Barcelona win the La Liga title for the first time in six years in 2005.
Xavi is likely to miss the 2006 World Cup due to an injury sustained in training in early December 2005.
