Xavi has confirmed his impending retirement and the Barcelona icon will go down in history as one of the greatest midfielders to play the game.

The former Spain international, 39, plans to move into coaching at the end of the season after trying to lead Al Sadd to Emir Cup glory. 

Xavi - a product of Barca's fabled La Masia academy - won eight LaLiga titles, four Champions Leagues and a trio of Copas del Rey during a glittering era for the Catalan club.

With the help of Opta numbers, we assess the career of one of the classiest players to grace the Camp Nou pitch.

 

767 - Xavi holds the Barcelona appearance record, with only current captain Lionel Messi (682) and Andres Iniesta (674) within 100 matches of his 767 games for the club.

9 - Only nine players in LaLiga history have played more than 500 times in the competition. Xavi's 505 LaLiga games is some way short of Andoni Zubizarreta's record of 622, however.

13 - Xavi tasted defeat to Barca's Clasico rivals Real Madrid on 13 occasions, playing in the fixture an incredible 42 times. He scored five goals against Los Blancos.

25 - His record in the Catalan derby against Espanyol was brilliant, though. Xavi – who scored six goals in the fixture – featured in it 36 times and was victorious in 25.

133 - World Cup winner Xavi played 133 times for Spain, making him one of 13 men to have reached a century of caps for the country. Only his former international team-mates Sergio Ramos (162) and Iker Casillas (167) have made more appearances for Spain than him.

1,000 - While not a prolific midfielder, Xavi recorded the 1,000th goal in the history of the Spanish national team. It came when they beat Northern Ireland 3-2 in a European Championship qualifier in September 2006.