Xavi Hernández and Roberto Martínez sound like favorites to replace Koeman at Barcelona

The keys to Koeman’s departure from FC Barcelona 1:12

(Reuters) – Xavi Hernández and Roberto Martínez are the favorites to replace Ronald Koeman as Barcelona coach, according to local media reports.

Hernández, a former Barcelona midfielder, is currently in charge of Al Sadd in Qatar, while Martínez is the coach of the Belgium team.

Koeman was fired after Barça’s 1-0 La Liga loss to Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday.

Xavi Hernández (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)

Xavi extended his stay at the head of Al-Sadd for two more years in May after having rejected the possibility of training the Catalans in January 2020 after the dismissal of Ernesto Valverde.

The former midfielder joined the Qatar squad as a player in 2015 after 17 trophy-filled years with Barça. He became head coach after hanging up his boots in 2019 and led the team to the national league title in April, without a loss.

Robert Martínez (Photo by BRUNO FAHY / BELGA MAG / AFP via Getty Images)

Martinez has been in charge of the Belgium national team since August 2016. Despite staying at number one in the FIFA rankings for three years, the former Everton and Wigan coach and his ‘golden generation’ have failed to lift no trophy.

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