Xavi Hernandes has had a career that can’t be measured in trophies

Xavi Hernandez is determined to end his Barca career in Berlin tomorrow by collecting his 25th trophy in 17 remarkable years; but measuring his contribution to Barcelona history in silverware alone, even bearing in mind those remarkable statistics, doesn’t even come near to over-estimating his influence on the most successful team of the 21st century.

Even before his farewell game against Juventus in the Champions League final, tributes and plaudits have been flooding in this week for the 35-year-old who has announced he will be moving to Qatari side Al-Saad next season.

That’s not surprising, because it is hard to think of any player who has had the impact on a single club the Spanish international has enjoyed since he first pulled on the Blaugrana first team kit in 1998, having begun his association with the La Liga giants aged just 11.