Xavi: Managing Barcelona? I need to walk before I can run Barcelona Spoke about his future ahead final game

Former Barcelona captain Xavi Hernandez is set to play his final professional match for Al Sadd when his current team comes up against Persepolis from Iran in the Asian Champions League on Monday and he is already looking ahead to his coaching career.

He has been heavily linked with a return to Barcelona, but insisted that he isn't targeting the head coaching job at the Camp Nou just yet.

"The idea is to start my managerial career here in Qatar where there is less pressure so that I can test the water and gain some valuable experience, before eventually returning to Europe and hopefully Barcelona," Xavi said in an interview with Efe.

"I am champing at the bit to get started as a manager.

"As things stand, I do not consider myself to be ready to become a manager at the top level.

"I need to walk before I can run.

"Obviously my ultimate goal is to end up becoming the Barcelona coach, but I need to learn the ropes before I can start thinking about that.

"I have lots of ideas and footballing concepts that I want to pass on to my future players.

"Football can be played in many different ways, but I have always been a huge fan of Barcelona's approach.

"The way in which they control the game and keep the ball is the style that I have grown up with and it is the style that I will use when I am a coach."

Xavi lifted the lid on what has been an illustrious career.

"I never once thought as a kid that I would be as successful with both Barcelona and the national team as I have been," he said.

"When I left Barcelona I bowed out in the best way possible, on the back of winning the league, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

"Now the time has come for me to hang up my boots for good.

"I just want to go out and enjoy my last 90 minutes as a player.

"I have had a very long career and I am now turning my focus and attention to the future."

Xavi then went on to talk about some of the biggest influences on his career.

"Throughout my career I have worked under lots of fantastic coaches from Luis Aragones to Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique to Louis Van Gaal," he stated.

"The two who have had the biggest influence on my career are Aragones and Guardiola.

"For me, Guardiola is the best in the world."