If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
When he opens up on this subject – as opposed to his favourite position on the pitch or footballing ideas – he relaxes like someone who’s on a specialist subject, immediately breaking into a broad grin. “I enjoy [social media] because I do it in my own way in terms of who I am and how I want to express myself to people. I’m not going to change. I use it in the most natural way possible and I’ve never done it differently.”
Simons admits that, particularly when he was younger, he encountered some who are either fearful for him or who’d like to control what he does in his private space. “It was all new, like a sudden boom. Everything shot up when I was 13 or 14. That’s when people start telling you how to manage it and saying, ‘Be careful with this and that!’
“But I always told my mum that I wanted to play football and I was going to take care of that. In return, my mum and brother brought in people who could help us on social media, which is key: having people that really love you and help you. So the main advice is to have the best people possible around you. And, over the years, do everything naturally.”
Simons may be blazing his own trail in cyberspace, but with football he has drawn enormously on those around him. He is on loan at Leipzig this season from Paris Saint-Germain, where he worked with his hero, Neymar, plus some guys you may have heard of: Messi, Mbappé and Ramos. Simons soaked it all in. “I think the greatest difference lies in the small details. That’s what takes them to the top and keeps them there. When you’re young, you see things differently.
“There were moments when one of them grabbed me and gave me advice. I’m someone who studies everything that is happening. If I see something, it will stick in my mind. When you move into a squad like that, which is one of the best I’ve ever seen, or that has ever existed, in my opinion, you can see the attention to detail they have. I think that’s what struck me the most.
“Seeing Neymar every day had a huge impact, but I already knew him [from Barcelona]. In terms of learning from someone I didn’t know, it has to be Sergio Ramos. I knew him, but not how he worked. I saw him at a certain age, yet he was still working every day, and that is even more impressive. He’s still at the top. With everything he’s won throughout his career, he knows what he’s doing.”
So does Xavi Simons. That stands out a mile.
If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
When he opens up on this subject – as opposed to his favourite position on the pitch or footballing ideas – he relaxes like someone who’s on a specialist subject, immediately breaking into a broad grin. “I enjoy [social media] because I do it in my own way in terms of who I am and how I want to express myself to people. I’m not going to change. I use it in the most natural way possible and I’ve never done it differently.”
Simons admits that, particularly when he was younger, he encountered some who are either fearful for him or who’d like to control what he does in his private space. “It was all new, like a sudden boom. Everything shot up when I was 13 or 14. That’s when people start telling you how to manage it and saying, ‘Be careful with this and that!’
“But I always told my mum that I wanted to play football and I was going to take care of that. In return, my mum and brother brought in people who could help us on social media, which is key: having people that really love you and help you. So the main advice is to have the best people possible around you. And, over the years, do everything naturally.”
Simons may be blazing his own trail in cyberspace, but with football he has drawn enormously on those around him. He is on loan at Leipzig this season from Paris Saint-Germain, where he worked with his hero, Neymar, plus some guys you may have heard of: Messi, Mbappé and Ramos. Simons soaked it all in. “I think the greatest difference lies in the small details. That’s what takes them to the top and keeps them there. When you’re young, you see things differently.
“There were moments when one of them grabbed me and gave me advice. I’m someone who studies everything that is happening. If I see something, it will stick in my mind. When you move into a squad like that, which is one of the best I’ve ever seen, or that has ever existed, in my opinion, you can see the attention to detail they have. I think that’s what struck me the most.
“Seeing Neymar every day had a huge impact, but I already knew him [from Barcelona]. In terms of learning from someone I didn’t know, it has to be Sergio Ramos. I knew him, but not how he worked. I saw him at a certain age, yet he was still working every day, and that is even more impressive. He’s still at the top. With everything he’s won throughout his career, he knows what he’s doing.”
So does Xavi Simons. That stands out a mile.
If social media didn’t exist – the enjoyable, optimistic, uplifting parts, at least – then meeting Xavi Simons would be enough to inspire you to invent it. This is a kid who draws the gaze.
Not 21 until April 2024, Simons is tremendously gifted, has lived in four different countries and speaks six languages fluently. His ‘look’ is eye-catching but natural, not preening. He’s articulate, smart, open and happy to be in the spotlight. But most definitely not needy for attention or approval. The flamboyant blond afro which helped him stand out as a little kid – at least for those who couldn’t immediately spot his footballing gifts – is now most often kept in cornrows.
Leipzig’s Dutch prodigy has changed in other ways too, having used his teenage years at Paris Saint-Germain and PSV Eindhoven to build a powerful, muscular torso which helps him win space and crucial creative time in midfield. He has utilised it to devastating effect in this season’s Champions League. Simons marked his competition debut in September with a Player of the Match performance at Young Boys, catching the eye with his pace and insatiable appetite. On Matchday 3, he notched his first goal, a wonderful curling effort at Crvena zvezda.
“Xavi Simons. The hype is real,” announced the Champions League social media channels, accompanying a highlights reel of the youngster’s defence-breaking tricks and flicks. For many, it was long confirmed: he has already played in three major cup finals, winning them all, and across a fledgling career he has confidently rubbed shoulders with his namesake Xavi Hernández, Leo Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Neymar and Sergio Ramos. Good company.
Now, social media presence is a thorny pros-and-cons subject for all elite sportsmen and women. So many current and imminent stars have grown up with it, regarding it as wholly natural. But it’s a theatre of judgement, where behaviour can be insufficiently regulated. Where any verbal or ideological ‘slip’ is pounced upon, magnified and weaponised against the originator.
Xavi Simons has been massively high profile on social media since he was in his very early teens, via his family’s authorship, and he has been a YouTube star, involuntarily, since videos of his performances as Barcelona’s stellar La Masia pupil went online when he was still a kid. By age 16, he had over 2 million Instagram followers. That could be daunting, but he is sanguine – smart, aware and intent on enjoying himself.
He told Champions Journal: “Social media for my generation is completely different to my mother’s or even my brother’s. I’m lucky to have those two around. I’ve always kept them up to date. I’ve tried to be the Xavi I’ve always been. It’s true that, being so young, social media can come back to bite you. The key is that I always prioritise success in football.”
