Who is Sergi Barjuan?

Sergi Barjuan has been announced as Barcelona's interim head coach, following the dismissal of Ronald Koeman late on Wednesday night.

The current B team coach has been promoted to first-team duties while Barcelona finalise the arrival of Xavi Hernandez from Al Sadd.

It was imminent that Xavi Hernandez would be announced as the head coach of Barcelona pretty soon, but the hierarchy has decided to invest faith in Sergi Berjuan.

Maybe, it would take a bit more time to consider the option for Xavi or someone else.

Right now, it seems, it’s better to run the show with a coach who has been attached well with the system till now.

Barjuan will take charge of his first training session with Barcelona's first team this Thursday afternoon, once club president Joan Laporta presents him to the squad.

Laporta has been clear in his mind that Barjuan is the ideal man to keep Barcelona moving while they wait for an agreement to be reached with Xavi and Al Sadd.

During his time as a Barcelona player, Barjuan played 386 games and won nine trophies with the club.

Now Barcelona B boss, having replaced Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta last summer, he has them currently sat in the eleventh position with 13 points after three wins, four draws and two defeats.

Barcelona are planning for Barjuan to return to the B team bench as soon as Xavi's arrival is confirmed.

Barjuan's first game in charge of Barcelona's first team will be at home to Alaves on Saturday night, but one day before, on Friday (12:00 BST), he will be presented in front of the media alongside Laporta.

 Born in Les Franqueses del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Sergi was a youth product of giants Barcelona.

He had not yet appeared in La Liga when he was summoned by first-team manager Johan Cruyff to a UEFA Champions League group stage game away against Galatasaray S.K. in 1993 and from then on became the side's undisputed first choice, never playing less than 31 matches until 1999; with Barca he won three leagues, two cups and two Supercups, adding the 1997 edition of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the subsequent UEFA Super Cup, partnered in the other defensive wing by another youth graduate, Albert Ferrer

After being deemed surplus to requirements by coach Louis van Gaal, Sergi moved to Atletico Madrid, where he still posted three respectable seasons although he collected 33 yellow cards combined.

Shortly after having been promoted into Barcelona's main squad, Sergi made his debut for Spain on 9 February 1994, in a friendly game with Poland in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in which he scored his only goal for the national team.

He went on to represent the nation at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1996, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, for a total of 56 caps.

In July 2009, after several years working in marketing and running football camps for youngsters, Sergi returned to Barcelona, being named its Juvenil B coach.

In May 2012 he was handed his first job in the professionals, signing for three years with Recreativo de Huelva in the second division.

Sergi was appointed manager of UD Almeria in 2015, replacing Juan Ignacio Martínez who had been fired.

His first game in charge occurred two days later against his former club Barcelona, which the Catalans won by 0-4.

In October 2015, with the Andalusians back in the second level, Sergi was sacked after a 2–2 home draw against CD Tenerife.

He resumed his career in April 2017 at RCD Mallorca, leaving when his contract expired at the end of the season with the Balearic team relegated to Segunda Division B for the first time in 36 years.

Seven months later, Sergi moved abroad for the first time in his career, taking the helm at China League One side Zhejiang Greentown F.C. for the next two seasons.

He lost his job on 4 July 2019 after a run of two wins from ten left the team in sixth place.

Two years later, Sergi was appointed head coach of Barcelona B for the next two seasons, replacing Xavi Garcia Pimienta who had been sacked.

The expectations from Sergi would be low while his coaching career does not indicate that he might hit the jackpot.

But the show must go on!

Note: Information gathered from Wikipedia

This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 28/10/2021 Who is Sergi Barjuan?

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