They call him Humphrey Bogart because of his resemblance to the former Hollywood leading man, but at Camp Nou, Xavi Hernández has never had top billing. Since breaking into the first team in 1998, Xavi has played in the shadow of Luis Figo, then Ronaldinho, and now Lionel Messi. Though he has been part of four league title winning clubs, a Champions League winner and a Euro champion, Xavi is just now getting noticed beyond Catalonia.

To Xavi, it does not seem to matter. In the confidence of his distribution, you see a player as comfortable with his role as any player in the world. And that role is not a modest one. He is charged with being the driving force in the engine room of the best attack in the world, a club with a mandate to play beautifully in addition to winning. For Xavi, it would not be enough to grind out results, and to that end Xavi can not be merely good. Perhaps Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry can get away with being very good goal scorers. If Xavi is not the best distributor in the world, Pep Guardiola’s new Barcelona – stripped of the largess of Ronaldinho and Deco – does not work. In its ambition, this may be the most prodigious mandate of any player in the world.

It’s a job Xavi could not do were surrounded by anything but elite talent, part of the irony in his story. That he calls Messi, Andres Iniesta, Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry teammates only contributes to the shadow, masking all he’s accomplished. This year was the first season he hit double-digits in goals (all competitions), but he is at his best when he’s emboldening others. With 20 assists this season, he is the embodiment of support, steering a club that has registered 104 league goals (the most goals scored in La Liga since 1990). That assist total is seven more than the next highest haul amongst Europe’s three big leagues.

If he is not Barça’s best offensive player, he is their most important. Messi may be more dangerous, capable of winning a match on his own, but within the system Barcelona has used for those 104 goals, a league title, and a Champions League final appearance, they rely more on Xavi than even Messi. Extract Xavi from the lineup, the Barça machine does not run. They become reliant on the individual exploits of their stars. They lose that which makes them Barcelona. You can not say the same, where you the extract Messi from the club.

As important as he is to their attack, Xavi may also be the most important player to their defense. His ability to organize an attack that routinely keeps possession for more than sixty percent of the game helps augment a defensive corps that is the club’s only (relative) weakness. The criticisms that Barcelona’s back line can lose focus, is not good in the air, or can otherwise be beaten is only slightly less applicable this season than last, yet Barça has La Liga’s best defensive record. Some credit for that is due Pep Guardiola and the actual defenders, but nobody is going to confuse the Barcelona defensive personnel for Chelsea or Manchester United’s. Victor Valdés is going to win La Liga’s Golden Gloves, and when he does he has Xavi to thank. Xavi’s ability to maintain those high possession numbers limits the amount of time opponents ahve to score. He may not be their best defender, but he is their most important defensive player.

That importance was underscored in the second leg of Barça’s Champions League semifinal. Barcelona went to Stamford Bridge having drawn with Chelsea at the Nou Camp. Despite similarities mounting between this and last season’s Champions Leagues, the ghosts of last season’s semifinal loss to Manchester United would not be Barça’s greatest obstacle on the night. Nor was a strong Chelsea team weighing on the minds of most Barça supporters. Having lost Rafa Marquez (injury) and Carles Puyol (suspension), Barcelona would start a weakened back line, with Guardiola electing to use defensive midfielder Yaya Touré in central defense.

During the match at Stamford Bridge, Barcelona would have two-thirds of the possession¹, an incredible number even if you allow for the conservative tactic Chelsea employed after an early goal. Chelsea was limited to four shots on goal. Much of Barça’s possession advantage saw Xavi with the ball at his feet, head up, scanning the Blues’ defensive, looking for any glimpse of Iniesta on the left, Messi in the middle, or Dani Alves on the right. It was a testament to Chelsea’s defense that Xavi’s frustration would grow as the match progressed. He was having to look harder and longer for smaller openings, and when he found them, they were not turning into scoring chances.

That is not to say Xavi was ineffective. Xavi was still able to put the ball where he wanted, but Chelsea’s back line was equally skilled in heading off the attacks. Through balls would roll into the area only to be swallowed by Petr Cech or have the Barça player run off the ball by John Terry. Passes momentarily gaining territory for Iniesta or Messi would find the Blues compact and organized, staring down their attacker, leaving Barça no scoring chance after the ball left their maestro’s feet. It was a subtle, amazing battle between two of the game’s greatest forces: Chelsea’s defense, and Xavi’s creativity. Xavi’s frustration was in the numbers. Him versus Chelsea, he was tasked with unlocking the best defense in the world. But that’s the role Pep has carved out for him. When called upon, he has to take on the Chelseas of the footballing world.

A subtle example of this conflict was seen in the thirty-fifth minute of that second leg. Already up a goal, Chelsea was bunkered in, with ten behind the ball as Xavi held it, ten meters outside the box, to the right of goal. The density and discipline of Chelsea’s defence left Xavi no options on the strong side of the pitch, all his attackers having come to the attack’s left, trying to find some means of weaving through the defense. And then you saw it, as the camera shot from Xavi’s right. Xavi’s brief glance to his right and Dani Alves was off, coming from deep and far on the right to make a run to the far post. Xavi had only one step to the ball, needing to loft it the defense and down onto Alves’s head in that small space where neither Ashley Cole nor Petr Cech could get it.

The pass was sublime, perfectly placed, but went for not. As Alves elevated to meet the ball, Flourent Malouda made up the ground created by the surprise run and headed the ball over the crossbar. It was the best defensive play of the night, one of many such efforts required to contain Xavi.

Because Xavi’s pass did not lead to a goal, it will be forgotten. But that’s the nature of Xavi’s job. It’s the nature of the sport, when you are not a goal scorer. We always remember the goals, but we it’s rare that a missed opportunity sticks. And most build-up towards goal is build-up to failure.

Where that not the case – if we remembered all the times a missed opportunity was preceded by a sublime set-up – Xavi’s contributions would be better appreciated outside of Spain. Within a country that values creativity more than any other in the world, Xavi is appreciated. He was recognized as La Liga’s best player in 2004-05. He has accumulated 71 caps for the Spanish national team. Within Spain, he has no rival in the center of midfield.

Beyond Spain, Xavi is just starting to get his due. He was recognized as the best player at Euro 2008, though that award raised eyebrows. From a Spain side that saw a variety of contributors without a true dominant presence, manythought David Villa’s hot start to the tournament deserved recognition. Marcos Senna, Iker Casillas were debated. Fernando Torres’s championship-winning goal distinguished him, some argued. It was a debate that would not have taken place if the award’s winner had been a Ronaldo, a Messi, or a Kaka. Had they won the award in spite of competition from within their team, there would only be a shrug. “But he’s Ronaldo,” would be the explanation. Yeah, but this is Xavi.

Later in the year, Xavi was named a finalist for FIFA Player of the Year and was selected to the FifPro World XI, both functions of the exposure he got a Euro 2008. It was his play for Spain that had pushed him over the top, though his contributions to Barcelona had already merited inclusion with such discussions. The world media has been slow in recognizing Xavi’s growth over the last three seasons.

Sometimes it takes a watershed event to open people’s eyes. Ask Fabio Cannavaro, whose status as an icon was not cemented until the 2006 World Cup. For Xabi, the first step towards getting the recognition he’s due was Euro 2008, but it is not enough. He is still viewed as having been given that award rather than having claimed it. Perhaps that is why when discussing the next Ballon d’Or, Xavi is rarely mentioned. Lionel Messi, considered the favorite for the honor, may be casting a shadow over Xavi’s candidacy.

Even after Spain’s victory at Euro 2008 and Barcelona’s record breaking season, Xavi remains in that shadow. He is the best distributor in the world, a truly unique player who has no equal at his position. No player has the same role that Xavi has been given at Barcelona.

Guardiola made Lionel Messi the club’s figurehead after Ronaldinho left, handing the young Argentine the number 10, but the exodus of Ronaldinho and Deco also cemented Xavi as the unquestioned driving force of the club. When Chelsea had Barça on the brink of another semifinal elimination, it was Xavi who urged his team on, pushing his teammates to keep working for the winning goal. Messi is the icon, but pulling the strings from the middle of the pitch, Xavi is the heart. He may play a role that puts him in the shadow of the Figos and Messis of the world, but it’s time for us to shine a light on one of world football’s truly unique talents.

Xavi Hernandez deserves to be discussed with the game’s elite.

1. I spent some time trying to find assist total for the Portuguese Liga before giving up. My luck, Joao Moutinho had 22 assists this season and makes Xavi’s look a little less special.
2. UEFA.org has Barcelona’s time of possession at 64%. Other sites, such as Soccernet, have it as high as 71%. Ultimately, I elected to use the “two-thirds” language.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader, focusing on the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga. He also hosts WSR Radio, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” Richard also hosts a regular (if informal) podcast at pointoneohradio.com.

About Richard Farley

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username "richardfarley." And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.