When you consider the greatest midfielders to play the game, it’s hard not to include Xavi right at the top of the list. The Barcelona legend carved out a fantastic career for himself over the course of 22 years as a senior player.
Spending most of his time at the Camp Nou, the Spaniard is fondly remembered for the devastating partnership he formed alongside Andres Iniesta and Segio Busquets, two players who are also among the finest to play in the engine room. He has a resume to back up any GOAT claims too, lifting La Liga silverware 11 times while at Barca, as well as four Champions Leagues.
When debating those who could possibly hold a candle to Xavi’s ability, there aren’t many who surpass him. But the man himself believes that a Real Madrid icon was better than him.
Xavi Thinks Real Madrid Legend Was Better Than Him
But Xavi refused to budge, although there was a close call when Andrea Pirlo’s name was mentioned. But when Zinedine Zidane was brought up, the Spanish international promptly broke his silence.
While Barcelona fans would be keen to rank Xavi above Zidane simply because of their rivalry with Real Madrid, it’s difficult to say that the French star is not deserving of the praise. His poise and skill in possession made him a joy to watch, as he guided Real Madrid, Juventus, Bordeaux and the French national side to multiple pieces of silverware, including the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000.
Xavi is far from the only professional to lavish praise on him, with Manchester United legend Paul Scholes hailing ‘Zizou’ as the “best all-time midfielder.” From past and current professionals to legendary managers, he was truly idolised by all.
Xavi Earned Early Comparisons to Zidane
Spanish Primera Liga , Barcelona v Real Madrid – 6/12/03 Zinedine Zidane – Real Madrid in action against Xavi Hernandez – Barcelona Mandatory Credit:Action Images / Alex Morton
Both Xavi and Zidane are regarded as outstanding players in their own right nowadays. But back when the Spaniard’s career was just getting started, there was a time when he earned comparisons to the French maestro.
Speaking in 2015, the former La Masia graduate revealed that former manager Louis van Gaal was exceptionally hard on him, but that he would also compare him to Zidane. Despite the harsh words, Xavi went on to say that Van Gaal’s approach had a positive influence on his career.
“I will remember him all my life, but for better not worse. He was very direct. One day he would bury you and humiliate you in front of the group and the next day he would tell me I was Zidane. That is the way he is and in time it has a positive effect.”
“Under him I went from playing at Old Trafford to going to play at [third division] Alcoyano when he dropped me back down to Barca B,” Xavi added. “That is something that has been lost. Now if you are in the first team it’s is taken for granted that you will not go back down [to the reserves].”
WWE has revealed Roman Reigns‘ post-SummerSlam schedule, which has seemingly hinted at the possible outcome of this weekend’s match against Seth Rollins.
Reigns puts his World Heavyweight Championship on the line against his old foe, with the two once again meeting, only this time, with bigger stakes than ever before.
Reigns initially won the title back at WrestleMania, defeating CM Punk, before successfully defending his title against his cousin Jacob Fatu.
With an eagerly anticipated match-up at SummerSlam on the horizon, and Reigns’ schedule after the Premium Live Event revealed, it looks like the ending of this weekend’s clash may have already been spoiled.
Roman Reigns Takes on Seth Rollins at SummerSlam
Once again, the two former Shield members meet in the ring. A historic rivalry, and one which may be settled this weekend, as Rollins looks to take back his title.
The Visionary has been looking to regain gold ever since he was forced to relinquish it due to injury. Since then, Reigns has only kicked on, as he became champion in a legendary clash with CM Punk. It was so good that The Tribal Chief received his first-ever five-star match from Dave Meltzer.
What makes this weekend’s tussle all the more interesting is that the pair haven’t met one-on-one since Royal Rumble 2022. That night, Reigns retained the Universal Title. However, what bodes well for Rollins is, in one-on-one matches, he holds a slight edge, with five wins and four losses in their 10 matches.
Roman Reigns Post SummerSlam Schedule Revealed
Reigns’ next few months of appearances have already been revealed by WWE‘s social media page. He has already been confirmed to be at the Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam, which may be a sign that he will successfully retain his title and defeat Rollins. One quote tweet even said: “He shows up on Raw after SummerSlam lmaooo it’s so over for us.”
Outside the immediate aftermath, he is also set to appear two more times in August, on the 17th and the 28th, the latter being a double taping of Raw and SmackDown in Cleveland, Ohio.
However, the activity soon fades away, as he is only set to feature once in September. That event being in Mexico City on the 14th for Raw. Furthermore, he is only scheduled twice in October, though, one appearance will be at Money in the Bank. In the lead-up to the big event, he will be on Raw that same week, as it takes place in St Louis, Missouri.
With the news, some fans are fairly disappointed as it looks like Reigns is set to once again keep his championship. In addition to this, he also doesn’t seem to be too active after August, which also isn’t ideal.
He appears in the movie Street Fighter, which comes out in October. All the press for the movie may be a factor leading to this inactivity.
The Irishman returned to the Octagon for the first time in five years in Las Vegas, Nevada, though, the long-awaited fight with Holloway couldn’t have ended more abruptly and more disappointingly.
McGregor opened the fight up with a jumping switch kick. It’s fairly normal for him to begin proceedings with a flashy kick, only this time he buckled to the floor, with his knees unable to withstand the pressure.
In the aftermath of the fight, there was plenty of speculation regarding what happened, with Sutterer now posing more questions since seeing what McGregor has been doing following the injury.
Doctor Has Suspicions About Conor McGregor’s Injury
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas via Imagn Images
In the immediate aftermath of the fight at UFC 329, Sutterer gave his thoughts on the possible injury, saying: “So, actually seeing all this, my first thought would be a meniscus tear, specifically that lateral meniscus because of him grabbing on the outside of his knee.”
There was also speculation about whether or not McGregor was injured prior. He seemed fairly cautious at both the ceremonial weigh-ins and on the cage walk. However, the Irishman has since said that he wasn’t hindered in the lead-up.
Reflecting on the situation, Sutterer has now touched on the recovery and McGregor’s possible journey back to the Octagon, and he’s made an eye-opening claim about what the fighter has been doing in the aftermath.
“Starting to wonder what’s going on with Conor McGregor’s ACL tear. He’s posting a lot of pretty intense, knee-loading workout videos and seems to have great range of motion and function. If the plan is a return for IFW 2027, and he truly has a complete ACL tear, he needs to get that surgery done, and I’m surprised he hasn’t had it yet based on what’s been reported.”
Conor McGregor’s Future in UFC
With the anticlimactic ending of UFC 329, there’s no surprise that McGregor is eager to redeem himself. As Sutterer touched on, he’s been active on social media, posting some clips from his recovery.
In one of his posts, he talked about what may have led to the injury, and the intention of being back for next year.
“The white, orange and green machine, mosying on back to the office, up the office! Sorry I’m late, but the dry ice has the cage floor wet. It’s a no-contest now chop chop for the champ champ. I’ll see ya’s next year 100%.”
A trilogy fight with Holloway could be on the table. The Hawaiian fighter didn’t shut down the possible contest, saying: “He was talking about this 170 domain, he was talking about this different world. I wanna feel it. I’m down to come back in 2027.”
Both fighters seem to be looking for a return in 2027, so perhaps that could be the way forward.
Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that another signing at Tottenham Hotspur is imminent, with the club set to continue their busy start to the transfer window.
The Lilywhites have already added a number of players to their ranks, spending around £237 million in the process. Sandro Tonali has arrived from Newcastle United for £100 million, Mateus Fernandes has joined from West Ham for £85 million, while Jan Paul van Hecke was acquired from Brighton for £52 million.
On top of this, Martin Dubravka, Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have all signed on free transfers.
The attention now turns to strengthening the attack, and De Zerbi has told Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold that a new arrival is imminent.
New Tottenham Signing Imminent
Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Tottenham have been heavily linked with Manchester City’s Savinho, although De Zerbi has hinted that another big signing could be N17-bound before the Brazilian.
“In the transfer market, when I want one player, I become like a shark, No chance to say no!” he told Football.London.
“The transfer market, it’s not finished for sure, but we completed 60% of our project in the transfer market. Now we have another bomba!”
