Debut, UCL titles, World Cup... 10 most important moments in Xavi's career

Xavi Hernandez hung up his boots after the Asian Champions League match between Al Sadd and Persepolis as he concludes a career which has seen him play in 1114 official games and win 32 trophies along the way.

The 39-year-old was one of the most vital cogs in Barcelona's and Spain's well-oiled machines for several years, helping both teams to win important trophies.

Here are the 10 most important moments that summarise Xavi's fruitful career as a football player:

1. Barcelona debut

Louis van Gaal handed him his debut with the Blaugrana on August 18, 1998, in a game against Real Mallorca. Xavi, who was expected to become the successor to Pep Guardiola in the midfield, scored one goal, though Barcelona would lose the match.

2. Under-20 World Cup trophy and Olympic silver medal

In 1999 he won the Under-20 World Cup alongside players such as Iker Casillas, Pablo Orbaiz and Carlos Marchena, and a year later in Syndey, Spain were runners-up at the Olympics as they won the silver medal.

3. His first league title

He celebrated his first LaLiga Santander title in 1998/99 under Van Gaal, despite not being one of Barcelona's leading characters that season. 

Initially featuring intermittently both for the reserve and senior teams, Xavi scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Real Valladolid when Barcelona were in tenth position in the league.But sustained impressive performances meant that he became a key member of Louis van Gaal's title-winning team, finishing his debut season with 26 matches played and being named 1999 La Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year. Xavi became Barcelona's principal playmaker after an injury to Pep Guardiola in the 1999–2000 season.

4. Rijkaard changes his role

Frank Rijkaard bet on a 4-3-3 system which gave Xavi freedom in the midfield alongside defensive players such as Edmilson, Mark van Bommel, Edgar Davids and Thiago Motta. Together with the Dutch coach, they won two league titles, two Supercopas de Espana and one Champions League trophy.

5. The 2009 Champions League trophy and Guardiola

Xavi was in his peak under Pep Guardiola as they won two Champions League trophies, two Copa del Reys, three league titles, three Supercopas de Espana, two Club World Cups and two European Super Cups.

The 2009 Champions League triumph in Rome against Manchester United was the first major trophy that Xavi had won at Barcelona, a success that he played a key role in.

6. Euro 2008

Surrounded by players such as Andres Iniesta, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas and David Villa, Xavi gave a recital of football in the 2008 European Championship, taking Spain all the way to the trophy and crowning himself as MVP of the tournament.

7. The 2010 World Cup

Despite the change on the bench and the arrival of Vicente del Bosque, everything in the Spanish national team remained intact and La Roja won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, again with Xavi being pivotal in their success.

8. The unfulfilled dream of winning the Ballon d'Or

Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi were the main contenders for the 2010 Ballon d'Or award, but despite the latter's outstanding season, the Argentine was the one to win the accolade.

9. Player with the most Barcelona appearances

Xavi bid farewell to Barcelona as the player who had made the most appearances in the club's history with 767. His career at the Blaugrana came to an end on June 6, 2015, when he lifted the fifth Champions League trophy in the Catalan side's history, of which he had won four.

10. The end of his journey in Qatar

After 17 seasons at Barcelona, Xavi moved to Al Sadd where he won a Qatar Stars League title, an Emir of Qatar Cup, a Qatar Cup and a Sheikh Jassim Cup in four seasons at the club.