Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez announced Thursday that he will be leaving his club of 24 years to sign a three-year deal with Qatari club Al Sadd. Apart from playing, the 35-year-old would also be working with Qatar's Aspire Academy, and is set to become an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup, Xavi's agent Ivan Corretja told Reuters.

After joining Barcelona as a precocious 11-year-old, Xavi won three Champions League titles, and won the Copa del Rey and the Club World Cup twice. He has played a record 764 matches for Barca in his 17 years of playing at the Nou Camp. Despite his announcement, he still has a chance to add on his trophy totals with Barca through to the Champions League final, as well as the Copa del Rey final.

According to The Guardian, Xavi is set to receive a rousing send-off at the Camp Nou when Barca host Deportivo La Coruna in the final La Liga match on Saturday.

"It is the moment to change," he said in a tearful press conference. "I couldn't have had a better career. It was a tough decision."

Xavi also played a total of 133 games for Spain, helping his team to win 100 of those matches. He debuted for the country back in November 200 in a friendly against Holland, and went on to play in four World Cups, along with three European Championships.

"We have a unique opportunity to make history. I think the Qatar project is nice, and it's ideal for me," who will be following in the steps of fellow Spanish team member Raul, who also played for Al Sadd in 2012-2014.

People from the football world took to Twitter to weigh in on Xavi's announcement.

"The most spectacular player is Messi, but the best is Xavi," Johan Cruyff tweeted.

"The most instrumental player in Spain's golden age and unequivocally one of the greatest interiors to grace the game," Sergi Dominguez said with the hashtag #GraciesXavi.