Xavi Hernandez fired a parting shot at the Barcelona hierarchy as he waved goodbye to the club.
Barcelona finished second in La Liga, on the back of a title win last season under Xavi, and he signed off the campaign with a 2-1 victory at Sevilla.
Xavi’s removal from the Barcelona bench has caused major controversy in recent days with his own future uncertain.
After originally being convinced to reverse his decision to step down last month, club president Joan Laporta opted to sack him, following remarks made over the club’s financial issues.
The call has annoyed Xavi, as he prepared to mould his young squad into title challengers again in 2024/25, and he bowed out with direct jibe at Laporta.
“It’s not a feeling of liberation because I wanted to continue here. These are decisions made by the club. I understand and respect them, but I thought this was not over”, as per quotes from Diario AS.
“It’s not my place to say the reasons for my exit. I think the president is the one who has to talk.”
Barcelona are expected to move quickly to bring in Xavi’s replacement with former Bayern Munich and Germany Hansi Flick manager in line to arrive in Catalonia in the coming days.