You have to get into Xavi’s shoes to find out why he announced his postponed goodbye. Surely he made the right decision for what he feels, what he lives and what he believes is best for the club. There is no need to doubt that. But the announcement that he will leave in June seems hasty. Skillful, but excessive. Barça was beaten in Montjuïc, some whistles were heard, there was a meeting of the sports commission and it had been sixty years since they had scored five goals at home. But football changes every three days. From 0-2 it went to 3-2 and from there, to 3-5. It varies in minutes, in seconds. The most important thing about falling is getting up.

Xavi could continue leading Barça without announcing his goodbye without happening more than what happens with top coaches: highly criticized when they lose, highly praised when they win. It is possible that at Barça more, but not much more either. What is undoubtable is that Xavi has freed himself and, surely, so has his family. The perception of a toxic media group with the current Blaugrana coach may not have been a fantasy. But in the end football is what destroys everything. And the result marks the trajectories.

Nobody can deny Xavi the stripes. There are plenty of them. He walks through the locker room door and everyone knows that he has been one of the greatest. He went from exalted player to predestined coach to sit on the FC Barcelona bench to complete the Cruyff-Guardiola-Xavi trilogy. But between one and the other he went to train in Qatar with a team in which he could not experience the pressure or tension of a world top team. He had to handle that in Barcelona. And he won a complex League. And, surely it is true, he has forgotten too quickly.

He is no longer enjoying himself. He considers that the Barça bench is cruel and has felt very criticized by the surroundings and the environment, it is understood, but that is part of the contract. Laporta has always defended him, like Deco, although not all the members of the sports commission. He has had to meet too high expectations. But it’s Barça. And everyone knows it. Sometimes he has given the impression that there has been too much haste to achieve the promised glory, but football has not always responded to the desired reality. Against Villarreal the match for the Barça players ended 3-2. In just 15 days the team has won three titles: Super Cup, Cup and, supposedly, the League. Only if a penalty had been awarded or a very clear chance had been scored, Xavi would not have announced his goodbye now. Because football can be transformed in just a few seconds, minutes or three days. Xavi today feels liberated. The players too?