Xavi: I was ready for New York switch

Barcelona midfielder Xavi has revealed he was ready to move to New York City at the end of last season after falling out of favour.

The Spain midfielder has spent his entire career at Camp Nou, but the club legend came close to a switch to Major League Soccer after growing increasingly frustrated at a lack of first-team football under previous boss Gerardo Martino.

Xavi has spoken of how close he came to turning his back on Barca before club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and new coach Luis Enrique convinced him to stay with the Catalan giants.

He told Catalan newspaper Sport: “The decision was made. I was going to New York. It was all done. A call from Bartomeu was what changed everything,

“He called my agent and told him that he wanted me here.

“Before I went to the World Cup I told them I thought my time at Barcelona was over. I did not feel useful and thought it was not to be.

“After the World Cup I received a call from Bartomeu and then talked to Luis Enrique.

“He told me I’m going to be a very useful player, that if I prove it, I’ll play, that I’m still competitive and they thought of me well, that we would have a good year.

“He convinced me. It was decisive. I changed. We already had bags packed with my wife to go to New York.”

Xavi has made 13 appearances for Barca in La Liga this season, starting eight games for Luis Enrique’s second-placed side.