spanish coach Xavi Pascual will lead Barça until the end of the 2027/28 season After confirming this Thursday that he will replace the sacked João Peñaloya, Gaba will return to his “homeland” of the Palau Blaugrana after his stint at Zenit St. Petersburg, where he will begin his second phase as head coach with the intention of resuming his former successful path.
“Xavi Pascual will be Barça’s new basketball coach until June 2028. In the absence of a corresponding signature, FC Barcelona and Pascual reach an agreement in principle “We welcome Coach Gaba as the new manager of the Blaugrana bench,” the club said in a statement.
Pascual will join the team’s discipline starting next Monday, November 17th, after the team plays this Friday and Sunday. In the match between Virtus de Bologna and Baskonia in the Palau Blaugrana, For the EuroLeague and Endesa League games, João Peñaloya’s former assistant Óscar Orellana, who had already led the team to the EuroLeague title in Munich, will continue to lead the team.
From Monday, the Catalan coach will sit on the bench of the Palau Blaugrana again, 3,425 days after his last game as FC Barcelona manager. He intends to do so after signing a contract until June 2028 And it was with the same ambition that led him to become one of the most successful managers in the history of this section between 2008 and 2016, with a total of 19 titles (including the Catalan League) and victory in Paris 2010, the club’s second and final Euroleague.
His first stage as team leader began on February 14, 2008. Temporarily appointed after Dusko Ivanovic’s dismissal. He was an assistant at the time, but the team’s immediate performance convinced newly appointed technical secretary João “Chichi” Creus to select him as head coach.
After working in youth basketball, the Catalan and homegrown coach’s dedication led him to continue for eight and a half seasons. A recognizable basketball based defense with its own unique stamp And a team accustomed to competing for every title. Currently, the team is a little unbalanced, and they will have a big challenge ahead of them as their defense is conspicuously absent.
Pascual was sacked on 28 June 2016 in the first stage of the Palau Blaugrana, ending an era in which Barça had won 12 official titles – four ACB Leagues, four Super Cups, three Copas del Rey and one Euroleague – as well as reaching three consecutive Final Fours. The climax occurred in Paris in 2010In the final, the Blaugranas overwhelmed Olympiakos (86-68), with Juan Carlos Navarro, now the section’s general manager, leading the winning team.
His methodical style, tactical control and ability to evolve with the group. They also gave him personal recognition: He was named ACB League Manager of the Year in 2009/10 and 2010/11 and EuroLeague Manager of the Year in the European title season.
After leaving Barça, Pascual began a long international journey. In Panathinaikos, Greece (2016-2018) won two leagues and the Helena Cup Before arriving at Zenit St. Petersburg (2020-2025), he won one league, one cup and two Russian Super Cups there, as well as cementing the club among the contenders to compete in the Euroleague.
Now the Gabba coach has returned to Barça after a complete reorganization of the sport. We have a team that combines a lot of experience, seniority, and youth. While there’s definitely quality and scoring ability in Kevin Panter and Will Clyburn, and rookies like Tornike Shengelier fit in well alongside a recovering Jan Vesely in the paint, there is a lack of manpower and energy on defense for a team in their 30s.
According to club officials, he has returned to work alongside his right-hand man Iñigo Zorzano in the previous stage. His arrival aims to restore stability and a recognizable style to the project After a short spell under coach João Penaloya, he left Palau empty-handed, just like his predecessor, Roger Grimau, who was Xavi Pascual’s great first Barça captain.
The contract with Pascual was concluded in a few days thanks to the harmony between president Joan Laporta, the section’s coach Josep Kubels and the coach from Gaba, who had already agreed at the first stage. Xavi Pascual accepts the challenge despite the section’s limited economic situation And since the course is ongoing, it is unlikely that changes can be made to the team.
Its official announcement is scheduled Next Monday, November 17th Once the team’s dual duties in the Palau Blaugrana against Virtus Bologna in the Euroleague (Barça 6-4, matchday 11) and in the Endesa League against Baskonia are over, the manager will be able to begin his second spell at the head of Barça’s bench and sooner or later aim to put Barça back into the ranks of Europe’s greats.
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