Xavi Hernandez has said he received an offer to coach Morocco national football team before the role was eventually given to Mohamed Ouahbi.
The former FC Barcelona coach said he was contacted by several countries after leaving the Spanish club in May.
Speaking to the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Xavi said: “I received several offers, one of them from Morocco and others from different countries.”
He said he is interested in working with a national team in the future.
“It’s true that being a club coach makes it difficult to balance work and family life,” he said. “That is why I would also like to try coaching a national team.”
The 44-year-old said he hopes to coach in major tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup, the European Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced last week that it had appointed Mohamed Ouahbi as head coach of the national team, replacing Walid Regragui.
The decision ended weeks of speculation about who would lead the team.
Ouahbi previously worked with Morocco’s youth teams and is known for helping develop young players.
Ouahbi will work with a group of Moroccan and international assistants.
Portuguese coach Joao Sacramento has joined as the first assistant. He previously worked with Jose Mourinho at clubs including Tottenham Hotspur and AS Roma.
Former Morocco international Adil Ramzi has been named second assistant. He previously coached youth teams at PSV Eindhoven and later managed Wydad AC.
Another former Morocco international, Youssef Hadji, remains part of the national team staff to support the players and provide experience.
Spanish fitness coach Ismael Fernandez will be in charge of physical preparation.
Performance analysis will be handled by Aymen Makroud and Ismail Taoussi, while Moussa Al-Habchi and Harrison Kingston will work on video and data analysis.
Morocco are preparing for friendly matches later this month against Ecuador national football team and Paraguay national football team.
The games will help the new coaching team assess the squad ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco will also co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
