Francisco Javier García Pimienta

Francisco Javier "Xavi" García Pimienta (born 3 August 1974) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a left winger, and is the current manager of Barcelona B. He is the longest active coach at FC Barcelona. Working as a coach for the club since 2001, for the U16 to Barça B squads. As a coach and expert on the Barça model, he has played an important role in attracting and training many generations of players: Messi, Fàbregas, Piqué, Sergi Roberto, Rafinha, Thiago, Bartra, Samper, Munir, Aleñá, Ansu Fati and more.

Xavi García Pimienta
García Pimienta in 2015
Personal information
Full name Francisco Javier García Pimienta
Date of birth (1974-08-03) 3 August 1974
Place of birth Barcelona, Spain
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Playing position(s) Winger
Club information
Current team
 Barcelona B (coach)
Youth career
1975–1976 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 Barcelona C
1995–1999 Barcelona B 68 (11)
1997 Barcelona 1 (0)
1996–1997 → Extremadura (loan) 4 (0)
1998 → Figueres (loan) 9 (1)
1999–2003 Hospitalet 78 (12)
2003–2004 Sant Andreu 22 (3)
Total 189 (66)
National team
1990 Spain U16 4 (4)
Teams managed
2006–2015 Barcelona (youth)
2015–2017 Barcelona B (assistant)
2017–2018 Barcelona (youth)
2018– Barcelona B
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only
This article uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is García and the second or maternal family name is Pimienta.

He played with FC Barcelona from 1986 to 1998, at all levels of the club from U12 to the first team, under the influence of the Cruyff model.

Garcia Pimienta is one of the professionals in the Catalan club who knows the secrets of the Barça model the best. His teams have always been a reference in youth football and have consolidated a model game system, of which is recognized as one of the most similar to Pep Guardiola's first team.

Club career

Born in Barcelona, Catalonia, García Pimienta joined FC Barcelona's youth setup in 1986.[1] After making his senior debut for the C-side in Tercera División, he first played as a professional with the reserves in Segunda División.[2]

García Pimienta made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 26 May 1996, starting in a 2–2 away draw against Deportivo de La Coruña.[3] On 14 July, he was loaned to fellow top tier side CF Extremadura for one year,[4] but appeared rarely after suffering a serious injury which kept him out for the majority of the campaign.

Upon returning, García Pimienta was assigned back to the B-team, achieving promotion from Segunda División B. After a four-month loan at fellow league team UE Figueres, he moved to CE L'Hospitalet in a permanent basis.[5]

García Pimienta retired in 2004 at the age of 29, after playing for UE Sant Andreu.[6]

Managerial career

In 2001, while still a player, García Pimienta was the assistant of Álex García at Barcelona's Cadete squad. He left the club in 2003, only returning three years later now as manager of the very same category.

After progressing through the youth setup,[7] García Pimienta was named Gerard López's assistant at the B-side on 21 July 2015.[8] On 25 October 2017, he replaced Gabri at the helm of the Juvenil A squad.[9]

After winning the 2017–18 UEFA Youth League,[10] García Pimienta was appointed at the helm of the reserves on 25 April 2018, after the sacking of Gerard López.[11]

Managerial statistics
As of 15 December 2019
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat From To Record Ref
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Barcelona B 25 April 2018 Present 61 23 20 18 78 63 +15 037.70 [12]
Total 61 23 20 18 78 63 +15 037.70 —

Honours

Manager
Barcelona

References
  1. "García Pimienta, sangre azulgrana y 'fundador' de La Masia" [García Pimienta, red-and-blue blood and 'founder' of La Masia] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  2. "Los nuevos" [The new ones] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 2 September 1994. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  3. "Guardiola: "Rexach se lo merece"" [Guardiola: "Rexach deserves it"] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 27 May 1996. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  4. "García, Duré y Gluscevic, tres nuevos delanteros para el Extremadura" [García, Duré and Glusevic, three new forwards for Extremadura] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 14 July 1996. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  5. "Paulo Sergio se va al Bayern" [Paulo Sergio goes to Bayern] (PDF) (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 10 June 1999. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. "Garcia Pimienta, nou entrenador del Barça B" [Garcia Pimienta, new manager of Barça B] (in Catalan). Betevé Web. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. "Former players on the FC Barcelona coaching team". FC Barcelona. 9 July 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  8. "García Pimienta, segundo de Gerard López" [García Pimienta, second of Gerard López] (in Spanish). Mundo Deportivo. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  9. "Garcia Pimienta to be new Barça U19A coach". FC Barcelona. 25 October 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  10. "Barcelona win their second UEFA Youth League". Marca. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  11. "Garcia Pimienta: 'I believe strongly in the Barça way of playing'". FC Barcelona. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  12. "García Pimienta: Francisco Javier García Pimienta: Matches 2017–18". BDFutbol. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
    "García Pimienta: Francisco Javier García Pimienta: Matches 2018–19". BDFutbol. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
    "García Pimienta: Francisco Javier García Pimienta: Matches 2019–20". BDFutbol. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
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