exclusive: xavi on celtic's special fans

Paul Cuddihy
SOME players are simply destined to play for a certain football club. In this respect, Xavier Hernandez Creus and Barcelona are a match made in heaven.

Known universally as ‘Xavi’, the outrageously-gifted midfielder has been on Barcelona’s books since the age of 11 and has enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks.

Now 28, the Catalan hero has amassed well over 300 appearances for Barcelona and has won virtually every honour available, including the 2006 UEFA Champions League.

Having stayed loyal to his beloved Barcelona, Xavi is widely expected to see out his career with the only club he has ever played for.

Ahead of the meeting in Glasgow between Celtic and Barcelona in the first leg of the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League, Xavi spoke exclusively to the official Celtic website about the game, his memories of playing at Celtic Park before and, of course, Henrik Larsson.

You’ve played against Celtic on several occasions now. What’s your view of the club and its supporters?
It’s a great honour and gives me a lot of satisfaction to play in a stadium like Celtic Park in front of Celtic's support. My last experiences were incredible. The fans are really passionate but, at the same time, well-behaved, and that makes it a pleasure to play in front of them. I'm looking forward to experiencing that again.

You played at Celtic Park with Barca twice in 2004 – winning one and losing one of the games. What are your memories from those matches?
My main memory of playing at Celtic Park was how the fans never stopped encouraging their team from start to finish. Also, the entire crowd singing as we came out the tunnel. The pitch was in excellent condition and both matches were lively and exciting.

How does the atmosphere and noise at Celtic Park compare to other big stadia in Europe?
It's a very special atmosphere you have there, very different from any other club. British grounds in general have their very own feel, but at Celtic Park it is particularly special.

Celtic qualified from a tough group with AC Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Benfica and won every home game. How do you see tonight’s match going?
It's going to be a difficult game. Like I said, we're aware of the special atmosphere at Celtic Park and that always makes things more difficult for visiting teams. However, we're playing well just now, and confident of getting the result we want.

As one of the group winners, you will play the second leg at home. Do you think that gives Barcelona an advantage?
There's no doubt that playing the second leg at home gives you a slight advantage, but not a crucial one. We'll try to take advantage of the situation, but the most important thing now is to get a good result in Glasgow.

You are viewed as the natural successor to Barcelona legend, Pep Guardiola. Which players shaped your career and inspired you when you were a young player coming through the ranks?
There have been many great players who have inspired me throughout my career. I've learned from many great footballers, but if I had to choose, I'd say Bernd Schuster and Guardiola.

You have played for Barcelona since you were 11 years-old, do you believe that you’ll spend your entire career at the Camp Nou?
I just don't know if I'll finish my career here at FC Barcelona. It would be great to retire from the club in which I've played throughout my life. That's my objective. But I repeat, in football, you never know what will happen. The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm really happy playing with Barcelona, the club which has given me everything - and the club I've given my very best to.

Henrik Larsson, one of Celtic’s all-time greats, helped Barcelona win the UEFA Champions League. What was it like playing with Henrik for those two seasons? Did he speak about his time at Celtic?
It was a great pleasure being in the same club as Henrik - a great player and a great man. As you'd expect, he told me many times about his experience with Celtic and what a great club it is. Henrik has Celtic in his heart - it was obvious every time he talked about it.