President Joan Laporta took the decision to remove the former midfield great on Friday, mere weeks after saying he was delighted Xavi was staying for the final year of his contract.
Despite media reports saying Laporta had decided to sack Xavi over the past fortnight, the coach insisted he was looking forward to next season and had heard nothing from the board, until the axe finally dropped. "I'm doing OK, it's not been easy, it's been a tricky time," Xavi told a news conference ahead of his final match at the helm, against Sevilla in La Liga.
"We can be proud of the work that we've done, it's not been easy because of the situation the club is going through. "I have a clear conscience, in general, I am happy - we have done good work even though this year we did not achieve our objectives. Content, satisfied, grateful."