Xavi has long been an advocate of the Johan Cruyff-inspired Barcelona philosophy, one which remains true to the club's style. Two things have tweaked it, the first being Lionel Messi.
“Before Messi, we had more control of the ball, more passes, more play,” Xavi told this writer in November after Messi was again listed to be a contender for a Ballon d’Or.
“Then he became the focus of the attack. Now, it’s Neymar, Suarez and Messi.
As soon as they get the ball they’re out to attack. So there’s a little less possession and a little more direct attacking.”
Photo gallery: Barcelona's Lionel Messi makes his case for 2015 Ballon d'Or award
Two of Barca’s front three are finalists for Monday’s award in Zurich, with Luis Suarez unfortunate to miss out on the three man list. Xavi knows Messi very well – and he thinks he is the greatest player ever.
“Pele and Maradona both made huge differences, but football has evolved,” explained Xavi. “The players are better than they were, the game is better. Physically, tactically, technically and psychologically, football is better than ever.
“And Messi stands out as the best at the best time in the history of football.”
Xavi has seen him develop from a player so quiet that the only doubts about him making it at Barcelona were because he barely spoke, to one who left no doubts after his debut at 16. Xavi saw the boy become a man and deal with the enormous pressure of being a global icon.
“He’s matured, he’s more responsible,” said Xavi. “He’s become a man. He’s shy, but when he has your confidence and trust you see what he’s like and he’s a very good person.
“He’s a joker, one of the biggest in the dressing room. He’s witty, very ironic in his humour. He’s intelligent. He is clever. Most of all, he’s a winner.”
Read about the other Ballon d’Or award candidates:
Neymar’s emphasis on the Barcelona collective sets him apart for Ballon d’Or award
Cristiano Ronaldo, rewriting history for Real Madrid, deserves Ballon d’Or over Barcelona rivals
Messi has won a record four Ballon d’Ors – four years in succession between 2009 and 2012 when the award switched slightly to become the Fifa Ballon d’Or.
Cristiano Ronaldo has won it in each of the last two years and the pair have dominated football’s individual honours since 2008. Ronaldo is the third finalist for the 2015 award after the 23-man long list was whittled down.
Messi should win it. He was the best player in the world’s best team last season.
He made the difference in the biggest games against the biggest teams, scoring sublime goals as Barca eliminated the champions of the Netherlands, England, France, Germany and Italy on the way to winning a fourth Champions League in a decade.
His side’s second goal against Bayern Munich in the semi-final first leg, where he chipped Manuel Neuer, widely rated as the world’s best goalkeeper, was sensational.
And Ronaldo, his nemesis with whom he shares a distant but improving relationship and respect, is one major reason why Messi is so good.
“Messi is the greatest footballer ever, but he wouldn’t be as good without Ronaldo,” said Xavi. “He wouldn’t have won all those Ballon d’Ors. And I don’t think Ronaldo would have won them all too.
“They push each other. The difference between the two is that while they’re both great goalscorers, Messi is much more involved in the play of the team. Messi touches the ball 100 times in a game, Ronaldo 30. There’s a big difference.”
Last year was when Messi’s partnership with Neymar and Suarez continued to develop and he won everything for his club – five major trophies.
It was a spectacular year and he rightly bristled when an Argentine journalist pushed him on perceived failures such as Argentina’s in the Copa America in Chile and the World Cup in Brazil a year previous.
Messi told South American TV: “We got to the World Cup final and the Copa. We didn’t win them but we didn’t lose in the quarter finals.
“Sometimes you don’t know if that would be better or worse. I hear them say that we don’t care about the shirt, that we don’t put our all into it.
“It’s not about not giving your all. We’re the first ones that want to win and celebrate.”
It was a seldom seen fire in interviews, but it shows how criticism from his homeland irks. Messi was out for 10 weeks towards the end of the year and Barca actually improved without him.
That quietened those who had talked of an unhealthy dependence on Messi in the team, but when a team needs a player, there is not one player on the planet who can compete with Lionel Messi.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJames%20Cameron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESam%20Worthington%2C%20Zoe%20Saldana%2C%20Sigourney%20Weaver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
Race card:
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; 2,200m
7.40pm: Conditions; Dh240,000; 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 2,000m
8.50pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed; Dh265,000; 1,200m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; 1,600m
10pm: Handicap; Dh190,000; 1,400m
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