Xavi Hernández signs through 2016

Xavi Hernández will be a FC Barcelona player through June 30 of 2016 after he signed his contract extension with FC Barcelona this afternoon. President Sandro Rosell, vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu and Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta were all present at the signing ceremony.

The Catalan midfielder, who turned 33 years old this Friday, thus extends his contract with the club for two additional years. The player’s contract was due to expire on June 30 of 2014. Xavi and Carles Puyol, who extended his contract with the Club last week, are the latest players to commit their futures to FC Barcelona.

“This is where I want to be”

With 659 official matches for Barça under his belt, Xavi is the player that has featured the most for FC Barcelona. After he signed his contract extension the player said, “this is a special day because it means I’ll spend more years at Barça, this is where I want to be. My first choice was always to stay here. The Club has made an effort and I am grateful.” Xavi declined to say when he would retire, but he did note that he’s “excited to play for Barça for many years to come. I know how demanding it is but I’d like to stay many more years.”

“There are many players that are able to play in my position and they’ve shown that they can do it," said Xavi when asked about who would replace him when he decides to hang up his boots. Barça will continue to perform when I’m not around.”