Guardiola praise for Xavi

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola praised the longevity of midfielder Xavi after he equalled the club record of 549 appearances for the Catalans.

Xavi played in Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Levante on Sunday, and Guardiola predicted there are many more matches to come for the 30-year-old.

“This game belongs to Xavi. I reached 300 matches and that seemed an outrage. Migueli played 549 and retired at 38,” Guardiola told AS.

“But Xavi is 30 years of age and has played 549 games. Xavi will surpass Migueli, I would not be surprised if he managed to reach 700 games.”

Guardiola was also full of praise for Pedro, whose brace set up the victory at the Camp Nou, likening the winger to the seemingly incomparable Lionel Messi, who was rested for the match.

“Pedro is very important. He is in the form of his life and does almost everything brilliantly, he is a very fine player,” he said.

“When he is near the area he is like Messi, in that he only sees the goal. But he works very hard for the team as well.”