He's the player who has always been one step ahead of the opposition.

A product of the feted La Masia youth system, Xavi Hernández went on to embody the footballing ideals of Spain and Barcelona for almost two decades, prompting Pep Guardiola to call him "the best Catalan player in history" and Andres Iniesta to "run out of eulogies" in trying to describe his former teammate.

Not content with winning eight La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues, two European Championships and his country's first ever World Cup, the 37-year-old Xavi is now plotting his next move.

"I'm not just in Qatar to play football," Xavi tells CNN, having called time on his Barcelona career in 2015 to begin a new chapter at Al-Sadd SC. "I want to be a coach."

Since moving to the tiny Gulf state, Xavi has combined playing duties at Qatar's most successful club with an ambassadorial role within the 2022 World Cup committee, while steadily accumulating his coaching badges.

He intends to play for one more season, before hanging up his boots when the Qatar Stars League culminates next spring.

Report by Miyen Akiri