after a career spent going head to head in the champions league, barcelona captain xavi hernandez and former chelsea midfielder frank lampard are about to become team mates, with the spain international finalising negotiations on a move to new york city the 35 year old midfielder, who has played more games than any player in barca’s history and won every honour possible, will join manchester city’s mls franchise at the end of this season ready to start playing for them in 2016 xavi (centre) celebrates after collecting the second of his three champions league medals in 2009  the veteran midfielder (left) has only been a bit part player under luis enrique this season at barca  spanish radio station cadena ser reported on wednesday that the player, his father joaquín and his agent ivan corretja met with a representative from the club at the l'arrosseria xàtiva restaurant in barcelona just a stone’s throw from the nou camp to negotiate his move to the us xavi looked set to leave barcelona last summer but decided to stay for one more season after a conversation with coach luis enrique despite that commitment he has played only a small role this campaign and played no part in barcelona’s 2 1 victory over manchester city last week his departure from barcelona will mark the end of an era he joined the club as an 11 year old and went on to make more than 700 appearances he has won seven la liga titles and three champions leagues xavi's former barcelona team mate david villa (above) is already at new york city  ex england midfielder frank lampard is unveiled at the new mls franchise in july 2014  it was pep guardiola who famously said of the young midfielder he saw coming through barcelona’s youth system: ‘this player will retire me’ he ended up playing alongside him briefly before leaving the club and returning to build a team around the spain star who also played 133 times for his country xavi's signing for new york city is a major coup and will also reunite him with former spain and barcelona team mate david villa, who will be expected to thrive on the service offered him by xavi, and lampard who also joins the mls new boys after winning 11 major trophies at chelsea in a 13 year period
david villa new york the summer frank lampard mls spain new york city barcelona xavi
xavi's barcelona contract expires in the summer  former spain midfielder set to sign for mls franchise new york city  he will join david villa and frank lampard in new york 