Genius or just odd, our king of Insta?

We held a birthday party for my son George when he was around five. He’s 29 now and was married recently. An impressive array of friends attended to celebrate the occasion. But like most five year olds, George didn’t really have the opportunity to choose his friends. It was more or less just who had been put into the same class at school.

In that cohort there was one child who was a little precious. Always looking like he was about to burst into tears, he tried just that little bit too hard to fit in, but didn’t quite manage it. Often shoved to the sidelines by the bigger kids, when he tried to push back he’d overcompensate and it would all end in tears. I remember my heart going out to him, as the other children edged him out.

The thing about that boy was that he experienced the world differently to the other kids, and that was his superpower. Occasionally he would do something so out of the ordinary, so unpredictable, that we didn’t know if he was touched with genius or simply a bit odd.

I was reminded of that boy recently while watching Spurs.

Xavi Quentin Shay Simons was a child prodigy. At the age of seven he joined what is euphemistically called the youth setup at Barcelona. It’s more of a kindergarten at the entry level. As he got older he set about doing what all good millennials do and, by the age of 16, he had amassed 1.6 million followers on Instagram. According to ESPN this was more down to his distinctive hair and the fact that he had the same name as ex-Barca favourite Xavi Hernandez than any football prowess. The world of social media can be a bizarre place.

In 2019 he reached the age where his father could negotiate his son’s future with the highest bidder. 16 year old Xavi signed for PSG. It was to be a couple of years into his career there that a certain Mauricio Pochettino elevated him to the first team squad. 

In 2002 Xavi signed for PSV. Cunningly, PSG inserted a buy-back clause into the contract, which they then triggered at the end of the season. Their motives seem to have been more commercial than footballing - they didn’t actually want him to play for them. He was immediately loaned out to RB Leipzig before signing permanently for the German club ahead of the 2024/5 season.

There’s no escaping the impression that for PSG Xavi was a commodity to be traded. From a young age he had been passed between institutions not as a footballer to be nurtured, but as an asset to be leveraged. Acquired as a 16 year-old for a notional ‘development fee’, and later 6 million Euros for the buy back from PSG, he was eventually sold to RB Leipzig for 50 million Euros, plus potential bonuses said to be up to 25-30 million Euros. Over that five year period he played seven times for PSG under Pochettino. Not bad business by the Parisians.

For the three years that he played in the Bundesliga Xavi’s stats were good. In total 124 games, 43 goals - just over a goal every 3 games.

Tottenham signed Xavi at the end of August 2025 for a fee said to be around £52 million. Despite being third choice behind the failed attempts to acquire Eze and Gibbs-White, much optimism surrounded the signing. This was to be the creative spark Spurs needed to unlock Premier League defences.

The big question was how would his style of play adapt to the Premier League? 

His performances so far are what reminded me of the little lad at George’s 5th birthday party. Clearly this is a player who offers something a bit different. He’s trying desperately to fit in but more often than not he gets bullied by the big boys. Once he saw a familiar target, an old friend from international duty. Emboldened by familiarity, he threw himself into a challenge studs up and saw red. Van Dijk just patted him on the head and forgave him his sin.

Flashes of inspiration have been as common as the misplaced pass, over the sideline without a colleague in sight. As commonly as he draws a foul he’s denied one. Savvy opponents insert themselves between him and the ball, leaving him sitting on his ass imploring to an unmoved official.

Who were his best games against? Dortmund and Frankfurt. German clubs. 

Xavi seems to have left his shooting boots in Germany. With one goal in 16 Premier League matches compared to one per three in the Bundesliga, the stats support the naked eye test. This is a player who is struggling to adapt to the Premier League.

But I’m not writing him off. He’s been trying to adapt to the sheer intensity of the Premier League, playing for a mis-firing team under a new manager who prioritises defence over creativity. That odd little boy lost is still working out what’s going on at the party. There may still be a genius in there waiting to be revealed with maturity. Or possibly not. 

George is seven years older than Xavi, he’s matured into his career and is kicking goals of his own, albeit metaphorical ones. I only hope I can say the same for our precious little playmaker in a few years time.

Regardless, it’s not all bad. Xavi’s Instagram following is up to 6.8 million. In modern football, stardom often runs ahead of performance. Or, maybe, simply doesn’t care about it.

Andrew Pettifer is the author of "When the Final Whistle Blows: Glory, Grief and Tottenham Hotspur"