Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona legend has said that he believes that if allowed to participate in competitions held by the FIFA, the current Catalonian International football team would be one of the top 10 teams in the world.
With Catalonia getting ready to hold a referendum in September 2017 regarding its independence, Xavi believes that there are a lot of exceptionally talented players in the team. He is also holds the view that with such players, they can go on to become a world-class team.
So far, Xavi has represented Catalonia 12 times throughout his playing career. However, the 36-year old did not rule out the possibility of managing the team in the nearest future.
“You never know. You can never close any door. It’s very early to start making predictions but it’s one of the ideas, coming home to coach in Barcelona, in Catalonia. It’s my home and I feel very comfortable there.
“I always feel happy when I return home and it’s a source of genuine pride to play for the national team.”
Catalonia lies in the northeast region of Spain, and is an autonomous community which has been demanding independence since the beginning of the civil war in Spain.
With the way it is structured both culturally and politically, Catalonia has its own national football team. If its referendum billed to hold in September comes off successfully, the team would become a new addition to the governing body of world games and would be allowed to participate in FIFA competitions.
Currently, the team is allowed to play only international friendlies. Some notable footballers that hail from the region apart from Xavi includes, Cesc Fabregas, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba, Christian Tello, Victor Valdes and Gerard Pique amongst others.