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And Xavi, a defender for the Spanish national team, stated that he and his teammates want Frank Rijkaard to continue leading the current European champions.
"I and the rest of the team want him to stay," the defender reacted to rumors of a possible departure of the Dutchman after the season. "He leads the team excellently and has their support. Players know they can trust the coach, and he will always take them in and listen."
"We have won several titles with him and can win more," the Spaniard said. "He is not only a perfect coach but also a great person."
Reports appeared in the Spanish media that the management of "Barcelona," currently plagued by internal conflicts, had agreed with F. Rijkaard that he would leave Spain after the season and possibly move to coach his former club, "Milan."
At the beginning of the week, "Barcelona" forward Samuel Eto'o publicly criticized F. Rijkaard for unfair comments after Sunday's 2-0 victory over Racing Santander.
The coach later stated that he resolved the disagreements with the Cameroonian personally.
Since 2003, under F. Rijkaard's guidance, the "Barcelona" footballers have twice become Spanish champions and won the UEFA Champions League last year.
The Spanish media rushed to name possible candidates to replace F. Rijkaard after the season. They are Bernd Schuster, the German leading Madrid's Getafe, Juande Ramos, the Spaniard leading Sevilla, and Marco Van Basten, the strategist for the Dutch national team.
