Ready for a second year!
Speculation surrounding Xavi’s future can finally be put to rest, with the Netherlands international (20 senior caps) returning to the Red Bulls for the new season. RB Leipzig will loan the 21-year-old from French giants Paris Saint-Germain for another year.
With 10 goals in 43 games across all competitions (15 assists), Xavi had a scintillating first season at Cottaweg. Following Benjamin Šeško’s contract extension until 2029 a few weeks ago, RB Leipzig have been able to secure another key attacking player’s future at the club.
Xavi also shone during the European Championship in Germany. He was a regular feature of the Dutch side, registering one goal and three assists to finish as the tournament’s third-best goal contributor and second-best assist provider.
There will be a change of shirt number for Xavi in the new season. He will wear the number 10 and his shirt is available now in all Leipzig fan storesandonline at the Red Bull Shop.
Xavi will complete his medical on Monday at Cottaweg and then train individually for the first time since returning. The attacker will be available for questions at a press conference on Tuesday and will then train with the team for the first time.
Welkom terug, Xavi!
RB Leipzig x Xavi
Marcel Schäfer, board member for sport
- “Xavi and RB Leipzig – it was simply a great match right away! He quickly became a key player for us and developed into one of the best players in the Bundesliga. Xavi showed in many games for us, and most recently at the EUROs, that he can make the difference for his team in matches. He still has a lot more potential to take himself to the next level.
We’re extremely pleased that he recognised RB Leipzig as the best place to continue his development and that he believes in our ambitious targets, despite strong interest from other big clubs both in Germany and abroad.
Xavi’s strengths are not just his vision, skill on the ball, pace and his finishing. He’s also got a top-class mentality, never gives up on any ball and always wants to win, an attitude that matches RB Leipzig perfectly!
We’re delighted that we’ve filled another important spot in our squad with Xavi. By securing him on loan again, everyone involved has done a fantastic job!”
Xavi
- “I got everything I wanted from my move to Leipzig. I joined a great team and felt everyone’s trust and belief in me. I was able to develop as both a player and a person – RB Leipzig is the perfect place for you to do that. On top of that, the club really value me and made it clear over the last few months that they would like to sign me. They highlighted a clear and concise plan for me for the coming season.
We want to compete at the top again in the Bundesliga and the Pokal and stay in the Champions League for as long as possible. We want to do better than we did last year in all of these competitions. We will go into the season again with a strong squad, something the club and coaching team also made clear to me. I’m extremely motivated to keep on improving and to play my part in the club’s success.
I feel right at home here in Leipzig and I’m extremely happy to be able to play for this club and for these fans for another year. I’m ready to make history!”
Xavi on his new shirt number “10”
- “It’s a real honour to be able to wear the number 10 this season, especially after club legend Emil Forsberg wore it for so many years. I will do all I can to live up to this number.”
From young talent to key player
After coming through the legendary youth academy ‘La Masia’ (FC Barcelona), Xavi moved to the U19s of Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2019. The talented youngster developed into a fantastic player and made his first-team debut for PSG in February 2021 in the Coupe de France. His first appearance in Ligue 1 followed around two months later.
Xavi spent the 2022/23 season back in the Netherlands at PSV Eindhoven. His debut campaign in the Eredivisie was extremely impressive, as he finished the season as the division’s top goalscorer (19 goals) and recorded nine assists too. Overall in all competitions, Xavi was directly involved in 34 goals and was part of the PSV team that won the KNVB Beker.
RB Leipzig agreed to sign Xavi on loan from Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2023 and so his journey here started. In his first competitive game for Marco Rose’s side, RBL won the DFL-Supercup with a 3-0 win away to FC Bayern.
The young Dutchman mainly featured as an attacking midfielder last season. With eight goals and 13 assists in 32 Bundesliga games, Xavi played a big part in the club securing Champions League football for the sixth successive season. Our new number 10 added a further two goals and two assists in the Champions League last term.
Best of Xavi 2023/24
RBL HONOURS AND RECORDS
- DFL-Supercup winner 2023
- Xavi had a hand in 25 goals in his debut season in Leipzig (10 goals, 15 assists) – only Lois Openda (35) was directly involved in more goals for the club.
- He recorded 13 assists in the Bundesliga in 2023/24, second to only Bayer 04 Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo (14). Only two players across Europe’s top leagues registered more assists last season, while Xavi was Europe’s top provider among players under 21.
- Xavi played 3,470 minutes in all competitions, making him one of our most regular players. Only David Raum (3,555 minutes) was on the pitch for longer last season.
- The youngster won the Bundesliga’s ‘Rookie of the Month’ award in both December 2023 and April 2024.
RBL STATISTICS
- All competitions:
43 games | 10 goals | 15 assists
- Bundesliga:
32 games | 8 goals | 13 assists
- UEFA Champions League:
8 games | 2 goals | 2 assists
- DFB-Pokal:
2 games
- Supercup:
1 game
PLAYER PROFILE
- Name: Xavi Simons
- Date of birth: 21st April 2003
- Place of birth: Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- Age: 21
- Nationality: Dutch
- Position: Attacking midfielder
- Preferred foot: Right
- Height: 1.79m
- Shirt number: 10