Xavi Boasts Superior Win Rate To Erik Ten Hag As Former Barcelona Manager Linked With Manchester United Job

Xavi has a win rate of 66% during his spell as a manager which is far superior to Erik ten Hag’s 54.7% as Manchester United boss – as we look into the Spaniard’s managerial record.

Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties as Manchester United manager following a 2-1 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League and speculation about his replacement is in full flow.

For the time being, Ruud Van Nistelrooy will take the post as interim manager at Old Trafford after playing a secondary role to Ten Hag this season.

Van Nistelrooy is a respected manager in his own right, winning silverware during his time as PSV coach – but many are unsure over his capability at the elite level.

Several star names have been identified as the best options to become the next Manchester United manager, including Ruben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann and Xavi, but it is the latter who we will be looking at.

The Spaniard retired from professional football at the end of the 2018/19 season, ending a career that spanned across two decades.

During his time as a Barcelona player, the cultured midfielder won the Champions League (4x), La Liga (8x), Club World Cup (2x), Spanish Cup (3x) and Spanish Super Cup (6x).

Alongside this, Xavi won the World Cup and European Championships (2x) with Spain – cementing his place as one of the best midfielders ever.

Xavi currently has the second-most appearances for Barcelona in history (767) and ended his career in Qatar playing for Al-Sadd SC.

This is where the 44-year-old would begin a career in management, taking charge of 96 games in Qatar and winning Qatari Stars League, Emir Qatar Cup (2x), Qatari League Cup (2x) and Qatari Stars Cup.

Following a successful spell in Qatar, Xavi was rewarded with a return to his boyhood club, as he became the manager of Barcelona in November 2021.

The Spanish coach failed to pick up silverware in his first season at the Nou Camp, but came back with a vengeance the following year – winning a La Liga and Spanish Super Cup double.

Xavi struggled to improve Barcelona’s performances in Europe, dropping down from the Champions League to the Europa league after finishing third in the group stages for consecutive years.

His time at Barcelona ended abruptly and was a mess all round. In September 2023, Xavi extended his deal until 2025 – but in the following January he announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the 23/24 season.

Just a few months later in April 2024, Xavi confirmed that he would be reversing the decision to leave, staying on until his deal runs out in 2025.

But in May, Barcelona President, Joan Laporta, announced that Xavi would be leaving the club and was relieved of his duties.

Since then, Xavi has not entered a new job and is currently on the market for a new club, hence the rumours over becoming the next Manchester United boss.

His record of 66% win rate (rounded to the nearest whole number) is far superior to Erik ten Hag’s time at Old Trafford and you can read the full breakdown of Xavi’s managerial record below.

Xavi Managerial Record

Al-Sadd SC (July 2019-November 2021)

• Games: 96
• Wins: 66
• Draws: 13
• Losses: 17
• Win Rate: 68.75%

Barcelona (November 2021-June 2024)

• Games: 143
• Wins: 91
• Draws: 23
• Losses: 29
• Win Rate: 63.64%

Overall

• Games: 239
• Wins: 157
• Draws: 36
• Losses: 46
• Win Rate: 65.69%