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<\/p>\nIt\u2019s a sweltering day in south-east Spain and around 100 children are queuing up to meet a local hero.<\/p>\n
Xavi Simons was born in Amsterdam but grew up in the quiet village of Rojales in Alicante. The\u00a0Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder is here to open a football pitch next to the school he attended before a life-changing move to Barcelona\u2019s academy at the age of six.<\/p>\n
Despite the oppressive heat, Xavi signs every single shirt and takes photos with members of the Johan Cruyff Foundation. Since 2003, the Cruyff Foundation has presented an award for the Dutch Talent of the Year. A pitch is then built in honour of the winner in a location of their choosing. Simons received the award three years ago, and this is the spot he chose.<\/p>\n
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Xavi is only 23, yet it feels like he has been in the public consciousness forever. Video footage of a small figure with blonde curls gliding past defenders went viral before he was a teenager. Xavi was part of a formidable generation at La Masia, Barcelona\u2019s renowned academy, which included future first-team stars Alejandro Balde, Fermin Lopez and Gavi. He starred in an advert for Nike when he was only 15 alongside Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo and Kevin De Bruyne.<\/p>\n
A year later, he joined Paris Saint-Germain, where he rubbed shoulders with Argentina captain Lionel Messi, Brazilian icon Neymar, and the rising star of world football, Kylian Mbappe. Following an impressive loan spell at PSV, he made his debut for the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup at the age of 19. He then excelled across a two-year spell in Germany with RB Leipzig, prompting Spurs to spend \u20ac60million (\u00a351.8m; $70m) on him last summer.<\/p>\n
Xavi should have played a key role for the Netherlands at this summer\u2019s World Cup but suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April<\/a> that means he is unlikely to play again until 2027. The setback has provided Xavi with the rare opportunity to spend more time with his family, including his grandmother Rinia, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s disease around five years ago.<\/p>\n Xavi speaks six languages and has lived in some of the world\u2019s most iconic cities. Rojales is not particularly glamorous but it holds a special place in Xavi\u2019s heart, despite the difficulties his family faced while they lived there. His long-term goal is to buy his former home, but for now, he lives in a multi-storey apartment about half an hour\u2019s drive away.<\/p>\n \n The pitch where Xavi Simons grew up playing football (Jay Harris)<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I come back here I\u2019m far away from reality,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople see me like the little Xavi that they always saw, not the Xavi from Tottenham and the national team. It makes me happy, feeling that the people are proud of me. I can walk down the street without any problem. I\u2019m in peace here.\u201d<\/p>\n The Athletic visited Xavi in his hometown to learn more about his incredible journey.<\/p>\n Xavi was born on his brother Faustino\u2019s seventh birthday, whose Barcelona-themed party was due to take place at the family home but there was a late change of venue.<\/p>\n \u201cThe night before I felt something,\u201d Peggy, Xavi\u2019s mother, tells The Athletic. \u201cI called my mum (Rinia) and said, \u2018You better go with everybody to a playground\u2019. I gave birth in my room.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a name for him but when we saw the baby I said, \u2018It does not match.\u2019 He was so white, no hair, ugly. Faustino was a beautiful baby. Everybody was a little bit shocked. I said, \u2018I\u2019m going to change the name, so just say baby Simons\u2019. He had no name for five days. Then I watched Barcelona playing, and I saw Xavi Hernandez on the screen.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavi Simons quickly proved he was worthy of being named after the midfielder who went on to win the World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he went to kindergarten, he went in full kit, boots and a ball,\u201d Peggy says. \u201cI have videos of Xavi when he is two, explaining technical details about the game. How can a boy of two understand this? He also knew all the badges of the clubs in Holland, the players and the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n Peggy\u2019s parents, Rinia and John, were both born in the former Dutch colony Suriname on the north-east coast of South America. They moved to the Netherlands to study and pursue work. Peggy grew up in the Netherlands and worked as a check-in clerk for Suriname Airways but decided to move to Spain after regularly visiting a close friend in Barcelona.<\/p>\n \n A young Xavi with his grandmother, Rinia (Simons family)<\/p>\n Peggy tried to buy a house in the city, \u201cbut it was too expensive\u201d, so she turned her attention to Alicante, which was \u201cfive times cheaper\u201d. Even though \u201cthere was nothing, only orange trees\u201d in Rojales, Peggy bought a small apartment with Rinia. Peggy officially moved in with her mum, younger sister Priscilla and two sons when Xavi was three. All five of them shared the same bed. Peggy wanted her children to experience a new culture and language, but the economic crisis that hit in the late 2000s had a significant impact.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was complicated,\u201d Peggy says. \u201cThere was no work. I thought maybe I needed to go back (to Amsterdam) but if I go back I have failed, and I am not failing. My mum helped me a lot and my family sent money without asking because I wasn\u2019t going to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavi was oblivious to the problems his family were dealing with. He would attend school each day until 3pm, eat dinner at home before rushing over to a concrete football pitch around the corner. He would spend a couple of hours playing with his friends and have a few scoops of ice cream before training at Club Deportivo Thader\u2019s facilities in the evening.<\/p>\n \u201cI spent the whole day outside and was happy with basic things in life,\u201d Xavi says. \u201cWith time I have realised (the living situation) was not normal but my mum had to make sacrifices. I just want to thank her for not showing me how difficult it was. Giving her what I give her means the world to me.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mum never had any jealousy towards other people. This was her life and she was always happy. I only have memories of her smiling, even though she was not eating but made sure me and my brother were.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Xavi returns to his childhood home in Rojales, Spain (Jay Harris)<\/p>\n Xavi\u2019s father, Regillio, is a former footballer who played for Dutch top-flight sides Fortuna Sittard and Willem II. Regillio has not been present in his son\u2019s life, which is why Xavi prefers to be referred to by his first name only. Instead, he looked to Faustino for guidance during his childhood.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom a young age he had the responsibility of being a man at home and he still feels like that now,\u201d Xavi adds. \u201cI am the one on the pitch and who everyone sees on television, but the real MVPs are my mum, brother and my younger sister (Kenza). I\u2019m really grateful for what they do for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Another important figure from the beginning of Xavi\u2019s life is his first coach. Marcelino played for CD Thader\u2019s senior side and coached some of the youth teams in his spare time.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the first training session, I could see Xavi was different,\u201d Marcelino says. \u201cThe way he struck the ball, his vision and understanding of the game stood out.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had a good relationship with his team-mates but in any exercise he wanted to be the one who scored the most goals or dribbled the best. He was a winner. He always wanted to improve. If he did something wrong, he would do it again until he got it right. If we were losing, he would say, \u2018Give me the ball, and I will win us the game\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI just tried to keep Xavi as humble as possible. I would play him the same amount of minutes as everyone else and taught him how to be a team player.\u201d<\/p>\n It did not take long for other people to notice Xavi\u2019s ability. Elche, Alicante and Villarreal were all interested in signing him, and Barcelona organised a week-long trial. Peggy kept the trial a secret until she dropped her son off at Barcelona\u2019s training ground.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter one session, they said, \u2018Xavi, you can stay\u2019. So I did my job that day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \n Marcelino was Xavi\u2019s first coach at CD Thader (Jay Harris)<\/p>\n Xavi moved to Barcelona just before he turned seven, but it was not the end of his relationship with Marcelino. Xavi would call his former coach every Monday to discuss how he played on the weekend. They remain in contact and in February, Marcelino attended Tottenham\u2019s 2-2 draw with Manchester City as Xavi\u2019s guest.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was one of the people always trying to supply my boots and helping my family,\u201d Xavi says. \u201cHe bought them for me and that\u2019s why I say my whole life I feel like I\u2019m in debt with him because he saved my mum as well in different situations.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavi returns to Rojales every summer. For the last two years, he has hosted a festival where families can take part in a range of activities. He wanted to give something back permanently to the community, which is why he asked the Cruyff Foundation to build a high-quality artificial pitch there.<\/p>\n \u201cI never had that and nowadays (children) have a lot more distractions,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to say, \u2018No, I will stay at home on the PlayStation or watch YouTube\u2019. In my time, everyone was outside. Creating good environments so they want to go to is important.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are the odds a little guy from Rojales makes it as a professional footballer? It\u2019s really low. That\u2019s the message I want to bring to the kids, even though living here you might not have the opportunities or the infrastructure in big cities like Barcelona and Madrid. Bringing that mentality, you have to work hard and believe. You will have people say to you, \u2018No, it\u2019s impossible, why are you going there?\u2019 If you have a dream, go for it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Xavi Simons wanted a permanent, high-quality pitch in his hometown (Cruyff Foundation)<\/p>\n For Marcelino, who describes Xavi as like a \u201clittle brother\u201d, it makes him feel \u201chappy and proud\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSome people, the fame goes to their head and they forget about people from home, but it wasn\u2019t the case with Xavi,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s surprising but in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n Barcelona helped Xavi and his family move from Rojales. A month before he joined La Masia in 2010, Xavi\u2019s grandfather John passed away from a heart attack. A couple of years ago, Xavi gifted the rest of his family necklaces that contained a photo of John for Christmas.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a blow, especially for my mum,\u201d Xavi says. \u201cHe had a big role in our lives, for me and my brother. I know he is protecting us and is with us. When I put that (necklace) on going into games, he is giving me strength to be here and work hard.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavi thrived at La Masia but it came at a cost. Videos of him playing racked up millions of views across YouTube and he was slapped with the \u2018wonderkid\u2019 label. He signed a deal with Nike and received 10 pairs of boots in different colours. Peggy ensured he shared the boots with the rest of his team-mates. By the time he turned 14, he had around one million followers on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t prepare you to be famous,\u201d Xavi says. \u201cI had a lot of positive things but I couldn\u2019t go outside to play with friends because people always wanted something from me or a picture. It was not normal. I had maybe more followers than first-team players but we managed it in the best way possible.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve missed a lot. When I talk to my sister, she plays tennis and hopefully will become one of the greats, I tell her, \u2018Please enjoy that you can walk outside, drink with your friends and have fun because I never had it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n \n An eight-year-old Xavi playing at Barcelona\u2019s academy in 2011 (Jasper Juinen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n It seemed like Xavi was destined to become a star for Barcelona but he left Camp Nou at 16 without making a first-team appearance. In the summer of 2019, he joined PSG and was reunited with Neymar. The Brazilian forward had taken Xavi under his wing during their time together in Spain.<\/p>\n Xavi played regularly for PSG\u2019s under-21s and took part in training with the senior squad. He made six Ligue 1 appearances in the 2021-22 season as PSG won the title under former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino. It would have been easy to allow the attention to go to his head and become complacent.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have good days and bad days but I never felt like I dropped my standards. They are non-negotiable and I know my brother will kill me.<\/p>\n \u201cI was with Messi, Mbappe, Neymar, Thiago Silva and Marquinhos every day. I realised this is where I belong and what I need to do to be in the same position as them. Seeing them in the gym every day, not skipping anything: their food, sleep, recovery\u2026 it made things click.\u201d<\/p>\n Xavi left PSG in June 2022 to join PSV and soon felt the benefit. Xavi flourished under PSV\u2019s head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy<\/a>, scoring 22 goals in 48 appearances. He made his debut for the Netherlands in a 3-1 round-of-16 victory over the USMNT at the last World Cup. He then spent two years with RB Leipzig before seizing the opportunity to move to the Premier League with Spurs.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_2048-1-scaled.jpg\")
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