Barcelona manager Xavi has revealed his delight after lifting his first trophy as head coach of the club.
The 42-year-old enjoyed huge success during his playing days with the Catalan side, winning eight La Liga titles, three Copa del Rey crowns and four Champions League titles, in addition to a number of other trophies.
However, he managed to secure his first silverware as manager of Barcelona on Sunday night, with Blaugrana beating Real Madrid 3-1 in El Clasico to win the Spanish Super Cup.
Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Pedri were on the scoresheet for the Catalan outfit, before Karim Benzema netted a late consolation for the reigning Spanish and European champions.
Xavi said that he is "so happy" to have his first trophy as head coach of Barcelona.
© Reuters
"I am so happy. I care a lot about how we win. It's important to win, but we need to think about how we did it," Xavi told reporters after the match, as quoted by Barcelona Universal.
"We dominated them from start to finish. That was our plan with four midfielders, and it worked so well. I'm so happy for the players.
"This squad has received a lot of unfair criticism, and today many players have set themselves free. They will work more calmly.
"I am so happy with what my players have done. This title is the result of what we have been working on. Today, we won because we were superior in the midfield."
© Reuters
Xavi also paid tribute to the "spectacular" performance of teenage midfielder Gavi in the final.
The Spain international made the breakthrough in the 33rd minute of the contest before turning provider for Lewandowski to double Barcelona's advantage.
Gavi then set up Pedri for 3-0 in the 69th minute, and Xavi has said that the 18-year-old "can never stop growing".
"Gavi is spectacular. He can never stop growing, we all know that," he added.
Barcelona will now switch their attention to the Copa del Rey, as they prepare to face third-tier side Ceuta in the last-16 stage of the competition on Thursday night.
No Data Analysis info
