Xavi Pascual remains one of Europe’s most respected basketball coaches, despite being away from the EuroLeague in recent years. With a decorated past at Barcelona and Panathinaikos – and success at Zenit – his name keeps surfacing whenever top clubs seek new leadership. But where could he go next? Let's explore five possible destinations for the Catalan coach.
During his career, Xavi Pascual had the honor and the responsibility of coaching two teams with a great history and tradition: Barcelona and Panathinaikos.
The 52-year-old Catalan is the last coach to have won the EuroLeague with Barcelona, more than 15 years ago.
In his nine seasons as Barcelona's coach, Pascual led the team to the Final Four five times.
After his experience with Barcelona, it was Panathinaikos' turn. He coached the team from 2016 to 2019 until he was fired during the season.
For the past five years, Pascual has been coaching Zenit St. Petersburg, a team he led to the EuroLeague playoffs in the 2020-21 season.
However, due to the invasion of Ukraine, Russian teams were suspended from European competitions, and Pascual continued his work at Zenit in the VTB League without being able to participate in the EuroLeague.
Therefore, in recent seasons, Pascual's name has often been linked to EuroLeague teams because it is thought that his return to Europe's top competition is only a matter of time.
Although the Catalan coach is not currently in the EuroLeague, this does not detract from his value.
Pascual is still one of the best coaches in Europe and one of the most respected professionals around.
In all likelihood, Pascual's name will once again be linked to various EuroLeague clubs in the coming months.
BasketNews decided to draw up a list of five possible landing spots for the Spanish coach, trying to imagine the reasons for joining one of these or what reasons could lead him to remain in Russia.
So, let's see some potential landing spots for Xavi Pascual.
