Saturday, January 25, 2014

25 January 1980 - It Beats Collecting Stamps, I Suppose

On 25 January 1980, Xavi Hernández, winner of the most trophies of any Spanish player in history, was born in Catalonian city of Terrassa.

Most of his trophies have come from his time with Barcelona. He has spent his entire career there, first joining them in 1991 as a youth player, then graduating to the first team in August 1998. That season, he won his first silverware as Barcelona claimed the league title. Over the next fourteen seasons, he established himself as one of the central pistons in the Barça engine while collecting another six league titles, three Champions League trophies, two Club World Cups, and two Copas del Rey. He also garnered several individual honors; he was named World Soccer Magazine's Player of the Year in 2010 and three straight La Liga Midfielder of the Year awards in 2009, 2010, and 2011.

Along the way, he has made 130 appearances for Spain, adding the 2010 World Cup and the 2008 and 2012 European Championships to his collection of silverware. At present, he has a record 24 titles, surpassing the previous record of 22 set by Real Madrid's Francisco Gento.

He looks likely to continue expanding his list of honors, as Barcelona are currently on top of the table and Spain are among the favorites to win this summer's World Cup.

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