今天totalBarca上的新文章 是說有關於Xavi的 http://www.totalbarca.com/2010/opinion-pieces/how-to-replace-the-irreplaceable/ If Barca’s unbelievable victory against Real Madrid has taught us one thing – other than it is a lot of fun to watch Jose Mourinho sit still and look sad – it is that Barca are blessed with some truly wonderful footballers at the moment, none more so than potential Balon D’or winner Xavi Hernandez. The words maestro, magician and dynamo do not do the man justice – he is far better than any word in the English language could ever allow for. Maybe we need some beautiful Catalan turn of phrase to truly describe his abilities but seeing as Catalunya’s greatest poets are not here right now (our very own Catalan wordsmith Cerridwen is also busy at the moment!) it falls on me to try to vocalise exactly what it is that makes Xavi so good. And just what could have been if he had left for pastures new before now. And (it hurts me to write this) what we will do when the time comes for him to hang up his boots for good. That day will see a tear fall from even the most hardened Barca heart. Let’s begin with a very simple fact – I could write about Xavi Hernandez all day long, every day, so enamoured am I with the man’s quality. But it is not just his footballing prowess that impresses me. No it is his mind, his dignity, his humility and, perhaps most importantly, the fact that he has made it acceptable, in a sport filled with fortune, fame and facade, to be wise. To be intelligent, and refined, and quiet. To let your ideas do the talking. To shun the limelight in favour of the glory that comes from getting the game right. It’s hard work but someone’s got to do it. Luckily for us Xavi has taken it upon himself to be that someone. He is the greatest player I have ever had the good fortune to admire live, and he is the first player I look to on the pitch no matter if he has the ball or not. His movement is fantastic. His reading of the game second to none. His ability to thread a ball through the eye of a needle, well I don’t really know how to finish that sentence other than to re-emphasise the start of it again – the man CAN thread a ball through the eye of a needle. He is able to put a pass where no pass should go. He could create space in a crowded car park. He can lead defenders a merry jig with one look. One movement. One pass. He is that split second that makes the difference between a game of football and history. He is my footballing hero. In fact I’d go as far as to say he is one of my all time heroes – up there with Pablo Picasso, Joe Strummer and Raymond Carver. He is that important to me. Whether I’m playing (terrible) 5-a-side football or just out in everyday life I often have this strange thought – I guess it’s similar to how Christians ask themselves What Would Jesus Do – I ask myself What Would Xavi Do? Then I stop for a moment, I consider everything, take a deep breath, stick out my chest and try to make something happen. (For example I’ll order a coffee in Starbucks. Oh yeah, just like Xavi baby!) And all of that is without even considering the amazing experiences the man has given us as Barca fans. As I’ve said before he is the metronone around which this, the greatest of all Barcas, ticks. He is the conductor that makes the symphony swing. He is…anyway, enough of that. This article began after reading a recent revelation by AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani that the Serie A giants came very close to signing our most prized of assets a few seasons back. Maybe I’m sentimental but that made me feel rather nauseous. The idea of Xavi in another teams jersey. No. Sorry. I can’t even picture that let alone accept how close it may have been, but speaking after El Clasico Galliani made some pretty amazing claims. “A few years ago we were a millimetre away from signing Xavi, a player I always liked very much. We had spoken to his father. We were very close but then he decided to extend his stay at Barcelona.” Now we all know from the man himself that Xavi did consider leaving the Camp Nou earlier on in his career, but it’s only when you hear how near he was to actually going elsewhere that you realise just what we could have lost. A loss that would certainly have been Milan’s gain. Imagine our recent history without Xavi. Sure we probably would have signed some huge name – erm Beckham maybe??? – but Xavi is the embodiment of what Barca is right now. He is Barca through and through, from cantera to testimonial, so if we had lost him I can only imagine everything we see now would not be with us today. Okay, okay, Pep would probably have still worked wonders, and Messi and Ronaldinho and Eto’o would have all given us moments to write home about but it would have been with no Xavi. Worse than that, our greatest work of art would be on display elsewhere, leaving us to look on sadly, thinking of what may have been. Thankfully it didn’t happen. AC settled for the Italian version of our great artwork in Andrea Pirlo whilst Xavi went on to win everything that could possibly be won with both Barca and Spain. A list of winners medals that must surely push the man high up into the realms of the game’s all time greats. But what happens next? We all know that Xavi is suffering from ankle and achilles problems, and the human body ages only sadly, and yet to watch the man now is to see a player in his prime. A player playing for pure passion. Pure pleasure. Pure football. He is, right now, irreplacable. So how long have we got and how do we replace him? Sorry no, not replace. His place will never be taken, only his position filled. There is a lot of talk of Thiago, Affelay, Pastore and of course Cesc, and while the Arsenal man fits the mould with the most ease it is still hard to see just how any future Barca will function without Xavi within it. The obvious factor is that Pep would have to be mad to bench a fit and content Xavi to allow any other player to break their teeth in the position. As such it’s hard to imagine any player being willing to play second fiddle for any longer than one season. But for my money I think Xavi may have at least another 2 or 3 good years left in him – thanks to the fact that his job requires quickness of thought and energy of ideas over actual physial pace and pounce. Saying that he is going to need protecting more and more as the years creep by, Pep wrapping him in cotton wool whenever he gets the chance, and so it would be good to see the likes of Thiago and Cesc given the chance to prove themselves worthy of the master’s mantle. Whether either of them will be willing to sit on the sidelines for so long remains to be seen. I hate to get so poetic and philosphical about it all but tonight, well, it’s just one of those nights. Maybe it’s the comedown after the unexpected high. Maybe it’s the recognition of eternity that holds us all, including Xavi, in its sway. The fact we cannot beat time. We can fight it and fight it, we can even, sometimes, if we get lucky, hold it still for a second, allowing our names to linger on a little longer but we cannot beat it. There will be someone else coming round the corner soon to take our place. I guess we should be happy they didn’t arrive earlier but this evening, well, the future seems so close that I feel the need to cherish what we have in the present right now. And cherish it we must. For it won’t last forever. Xavi Hernandez we thank you. For what was, what will be, and what is forever. Moltes Gra`cies. === 前陣子Xavi受傷的時候很矛盾 因為最想看到他在場上自在的散步跟神傳 但是又想他好好休息 畢竟會受傷一部分原因就是被當鐵打的用 之前有看到報導裡他說 自從動過手術之後就一直有傷 不過他都自己忍了 又不是才十八歲或二十歲 (看到這個好心疼阿....Q_Q) 之前有幾場不知道他是趁機休息還是怎樣 真的有種"散步"的感覺 很怕他是不是傷還沒好 所以狀態不好 這次德比的時候看到他的表現 還有那進的第一球 真的讓我很感動 (推文的時候手都一直抖 XD ) 這表示他之前應該是在保持實力 狀態沒問題 亂說了一堆 其實我只是想說 Moltes Gra`cies, Xavi Hernandez. Xavi我愛你~~ (趁機表白XD) --

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