Xavier Espart Font
Active- Current or last club
- Barcelona
- Country (nationality)
- Spain
- League or competition
- La Liga
- Position
- Full-back * defensive midfielder
- How is the religion known?
- Unconfirmed, needs checking
- Last checked
- 24 October 2026
We list a player’s religion only where they have spoken about it publicly or it has been reliably reported, and we link our sources. If something is wrong, or a player’s views have changed, please tell us and we will review it.
Table of Contents
What religion is Xavi Espart?
Xavi Espart is a Spanish professional footballer who has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs. Because he has not addressed his personal faith in interviews or on his official Instagram account, there is no definitive public record of his religion. Online biographical databases that list his religion as Christian do so without a verified source. This label is based purely on demographic probability, as he was born and raised in Barcelona, Catalonia, where Christianity is the historically predominant religion.
Xavi Espart plays as a right-back or left-back or defensive midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona. He has also played for the Spanish national youth teams, including in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Wales in 2026. There, in his first tournament match, Espart helped Spain secure a dominant 7–0 victory over the host nation Wales by scoring the team’s second goal of the match. Building on that international success, he was permanently promoted to Barcelona’s senior squad for the 2026–27 season, where he recently scored his first UEFA Champions League goal against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Early life and youth career
Xavi Espart was born as Xavier Espart Font on May 21, 2007, in Barcelona, Spain. He began playing football early in life, starting out with his hometown club UE Vilassar de Mar in 2013. After two years there, he moved to the youth academy of FC Barcelona, La Masia, where he spent another nine years developing through the ranks. With Barcelona’s youth teams, Espart won the UEFA Youth League and captained multiple age groups before permanently breaking into Hansi Flick’s senior squad for the 2026–27 season.
Barcelona
In 2023, Xavi Espart signed his first professional contract with La Liga club Barcelona. He was soon promoted from the under-16 team to the under-19 team. In August 2024, Espart made his debut for Barcelona Atlètic when he came on as a starter in a 2–1 away match against Andorra. The next year, he earned regular game time under Juliano Belletti and was named one of the team captains.
Ahead of the 2026–2027 season, Espart was permanently promoted to the senior squad of Barcelona under Hansi Flick after impressing during the summer preseason tour. He had already made his official first-team debut earlier that spring, coming on as a substitute during a Champions League match against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. Finally, in August 2026, Espart played his first match of the new season with Barcelona’s first team, wearing the number 12 jersey. Keeping up his rapid rise, he scored his first senior goal for the club on September 13 in a La Liga victory over Levante, and on October 20, 2026, he secured another massive milestone by scoring the equalising goal in a UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Contract & salary
At Barcelona, Espart earns a salary of €3.5 million per year. Barcelona officially signed Espart to a massive contract extension running until June 30, 2030. To protect their investment and deter rival suitors, the club also inserted a staggering €1 billion ($1.08 billion) release clause into the deal.
International career
On the international stage, Xavi Espart has played for the Spanish national youth teams. He first represented his country at the under-17 and under-18 levels. In July 2026, he moved up to the under-19 level and made his tournament debut in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Wales. Appearing in Spain’s opening group stage match, he scored a goal to help Spain secure a dominant 7–0 victory over the host nation Wales. Ultimately, Spain went on to win the final 2–0 against Germany to claim the European title, with Espart earning a spot in the Team of the Tournament.
In September 2026, Espart hit another milestone when he made his debut for the Spain under-21 national team. There, he started in a crucial qualification match against Finland to continue his rapid international progression.
Playing style
Due to his precise short passing, tactical discipline, and ability to move smoothly from a full-back position into central midfield to dictate the tempo of play, Xavi Espart has been compared to former Germany captain and Bayern Munich legend Philipp Lahm.
Originally developing as a midfielder in Barcelona’s youth ranks, his elite spatial awareness and high football IQ allow him to operate seamlessly as an inverted wing-back. In possession, he frequently drifts into the central spaces to break lines and create numerical superiorities, combining an impressive 92% pass completion rate with a gritty, composed approach to defensive transitions and 1v1 duels.
Honors
As an individual player, Xavi Espart was named to the UEFA European Under-19 Championship Team of the Tournament in 2026 as one of the best-performing youth players in Europe. The same year, he earned a nomination for the LaLiga Best U-23 Player of the Month award for August following his breakthrough performances into the Barcelona senior team.
