Story highlights Barcelona legend Xavi would seriously consider managing Qatar at 2022 World Cup

Dreams of coaching former club after tournament

Doha, Qatar (CNN) He's the player who has always been one step ahead of the opposition.

A product of the feted La Masia youth system, Xavi Hernández went on to embody the footballing ideals of Spain and Barcelona for almost two decades, prompting Pep Guardiola to call him "the best Catalan player in history" and Andres Iniesta to "run out of eulogies" in trying to describe his former teammate.

@socceroosayaa #alsadd A post shared by Xavi Hernandez Creus (@xavihernandezoficial) on Jul 28, 2015 at 8:26pm PDT

Not content with winning eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and his country's first ever World Cup, the 37-year-old Xavi is now plotting his next move.

"I'm not just in Qatar to play football," Xavi tells CNN, having called time on his Barcelona career in 2015 to begin a new chapter at Al-Sadd SC. "I want to be a coach."

A post shared by Xavi Hernandez Creus (@xavihernandezoficial) on Nov 3, 2016 at 8:24pm PDT

Since moving to the tiny Gulf state, Xavi has combined playing duties at Qatar's most successful club with an ambassadorial role within the 2022 World Cup committee, while steadily accumulating his coaching badges