'It's my primary goal' - Xavi reiterates his desire to manage Barcelona

Former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez says his "primary goal" remains to coach the Spanish giants, but is focused on his current job of managing Qatari club Al-Sadd.

"I do not hide, and I have always said, that my primary goal, when it happens, is Barca. It's my home and would be a dream," Xavi told Marca, adding he was "fine" after testing positive for coronavirus.

"But now I am focused on Al-Sadd, excited about the new season. When Barca comes, in the short or long term, it will come," Xavi said while emphasising he does not want to destabilise the current management under Quique Setien.

"Above all, we have to respect Quique Setien and I wish the team all the best," he said. "Sometimes Barca plays very well, sometimes well, and sometimes not so well. But I like Setien's idea, now and with his previous teams: to dominate and to make a beautiful game."

Xavi's name has come up repeatedly as a replacement for Setien, but club president Josep Maria Bartomeu insists he is sticking with his current manager.

"I have an excellent relationship with Xavi and we talked about many issues. But next year Quique Setien has a contract and he is the one we hired," Bartomeu told Barcelona-based Mundo Deportivo on Sunday.

Xavi has been quarantined after revealing he has contracted Covid-19.

"I feel good, although isolated, logically. And I'm looking forward to training soon," he said.

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Every season of Messi as he wins La Liga golden boot for seventh time

MATCH INFO

South Africa 66 (Tries: De Allende, Nkosi, Reinach (3), Gelant, Steyn, Brits, Willemse; Cons: Jantjies 8)

Canada 7 (Tries: Heaton; Cons: Nelson)

The%20specs

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Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

The biog

Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball

About Karol Nawrocki

• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.

• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.

• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.

• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

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