By Chris Wright
Having agreed to see out his footballing days at Qatari side Al Sadd in return for megabucks, Xavi touched down in the Gulf yesterday after signing off with the Champions League and saying his teary-eyed goodbyes to all his Barcelona buddies.
His arrival was…well, a little on the muted side. A great omen for the 2022 World Cup hosts.
Indeed, Xavi basically signed a couple of autographs, brought 200 Malboro Lights in duty free and then wandered out of the door to little fanfare…
Contrast that with the maddening scenes that greeted Darius Vassell upon his arrival in Turkey having just signed for MKE Ankaragücü in 2009, with 3,000 weirdly ecstatic fans turning out to roar him through the arrivals lounge…
Still crazy after all these years.