Xavi has scored ten direct free kicks for Barça, and nine of them away from the Camp Nou

Xavi scores from a free kick against Villarreal in the 2009/10 season / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
Ever since he has played for the first team, the midfielder has scored ten direct free kicks, and nine of them were scored away from the Camp Nou

All of his free kicks have been scored in different stadiums, and only one outside of Spain

Xavi’s goals from free kicks

Season 2001/02
League. R5. Real Sociedad-FCB (0-2)
League. R37. FCB-Espanyol (2-0)

Season 2003/04
UEFA. 1/32. Panionios-FCB (0-3)

Season 2006/07
League. R17. Getafe-FCB (1-1)

Season 2008/09
League. R9. Malaga-FCB (1-4)
Copa. Final. Athletic-FCB (1-4)

Season 2009/10
League. R35. Villarreal-FCB (1-4)

Season 2011/12
League. R9. Granada-FCB (0-1)
League. R27. Sevilla-FCB (0-2)

Season 2012/13
League. R11. Mallorca-FCB (2-4)

Xavi Hernández scored his 76th goal for Barcelona in Mallorca (2-4) last weekend, his fourth this term and his tenth ever from a direct free kick. The curious thing is that only one of the ten free kicks was scored at the Camp Nou. It seems he’s a free kick specialist on the road!

First in Sant Sebastian

Xavi scored his first free kick on 29 September 2001, away to Real Sociedad. That goal made it 2-0 and sealed the three points. That was the season of his only ever free kick goal at the Camp Nou, against Espanyol (2-0).

In Ronaldinho’s shadow

From 2002 to 2008, Xavi only scored two goals from free kicks. It is telling that both were scored while Ronaldinho was not on the pitch, the Brazilian being one of the world’s finest free kick specialists of the era, and like Xavi, right-footed. The goals came away to Greek outfit Panionios (0-3) and at Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Pérez (1-1) in the UEFA Cup and Liga respectively.

Six more

Xavi has become a more regular kick taker in recent years, and has found the target six more times. He opened the scoring at Malaga (1-4) in 2008/09, and also scored away to Granada (0-1) and Sevilla in 2011/12 and at Mallorca (2-4) last weekend in Liga matches. He has also scored two free kicks in the Copa del Rey, in 2009 away to Athletic Bilbao (1-4), and again at Villarreal in 2009/10 (1-4) as the side marched towards its amazing 99 point season total.