Xavi Simons: TRUTH about Barcelona, the original WONDERKID & Why Spurs feel different
7/23/202637 min
Spurs & Netherlands star Xavi Simons sits down with Gabby for an exclusive, in depth interview.
As he recovers from the ACL injury which robbed him of a place at the World Cup, Xavi opens up on the pressures of being a 12-year-old social media star watched by millions of followers, growing up without a father, and the truth behind his controversial exit from Barcelona at just 16 years old.
Xavi reveals all about his extraordinary footballing life, a life spent alongside Mbappe, Messi & Neymar, a life of incredible highs and bruising lows, one which led him from La Masia to London and the Premier League with Spurs - where Xavi is determined to prove himself to the fans and become the player he always knew he could be.
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Executive Producer: Adonis Pratsides
Producers: David Finch & George Sexton-Kerr
Video Producer: Samuel Trudgill
Social Media Editor: Jasmine Wissart
Tom Hughes is Editor for The News Agents podcast network
Vicky Etchells is the Commissioning Editor for Global
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
[upbeat music] This is a global production You have really good things in, in this story.
Xavi Simons· Guest0:07
The things that are not so nice. I lost a lot of my childhood because I was not a normal kid. I knew from an early age kids will hang around me just because I was Xavi Simons. Man, I heard you can nutmeg anything. He said to me, "You are now under my wing. If you need something, call me." I had no friends in Barcelona. People, they don't know, like, what happened inside all this stuff. At the time, I choose not to speak. I wouldn't say I closed the door, but I'm really happy in Tottenham. I think we've been into the worst possible scenario. I want to bring joy to the fans as well because they've been through a difficult rollercoaster. The footballer's life go so fast. You never think, "This can happen to me."
Speaker 10:46
[upbeat music] The Sports Agents.
Speaker 30:57
With Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman.
Gabby Logan· Host0:59
[crowd cheering] At eight years old, Xavi Simons already had millions watching. [upbeat music] Barcelona raised him. Social media made him famous. By 16, he had more than two million followers, had starred alongside Neymar in Nike commercials and was sharing a dressing room with Lionel Messi. But Xavi's path from prodigy to professional was anything