Xavi Pascual · Biography

Xavier Pascual Vives was born on 9 September 1972 in Gavà, near Barcelona, and learned his trade at small clubs in the Baix Llobregat area before joining FC Barcelona, where he coached the basketball first team from 2008 to 2016 and won the 2010 EuroLeague. An industrial technical engineer by training, he spent years combining coaching with a job at Viladecans city council. He went on to coach Panathinaikos and Zenit Saint Petersburg, returned to Barça in November 2025 and joined Dubai Basketball in July 2026.

Early years in Catalan basketball

He began coaching at CB Gavà, his hometown club, in the 1990-91 season, working with minibasket teams, and stayed connected to the club until 1994. At CB Cornellà he took charge of youth sides and the senior B team, and from 1995 to 1997 he was assistant to Agustí Cuesta. Between 1997 and 1999 he led CB Santfeliuenc in the Segunda Nacional. In 1999 he moved to CB Olesa and won promotion to the Liga EBA in his first season. From 2001 to 2005 he also worked as an engineer for Viladecans city council.

Aracena and the move to Barcelona

At CB Aracena, from 2001 to 2004, he achieved two promotions in a row: the team won the Liga EBA to go up to LEB-2, and in 2003 it won again and reached the LEB, the second tier of Spanish basketball. In 2004 FC Barcelona handed him its reserve team, which played in the Liga EBA, along with the coordination of the youth sides. A year later, in 2005, he joined the first-team staff as assistant to Dusko Ivanovic.

From assistant to European champion (2008-2010)

On 14 February 2008, after Ivanovic was dismissed following the team’s Copa del Rey exit in Vitoria, the club put Pascual in charge on a provisional basis. The board soon confirmed him until the end of the season, and in June 2008 he was presented as head coach for the following campaign. In 2009 he won the Liga ACB, Barça’s first Spanish league title in five years, and took the team to the Final Four in Berlin, where it finished third.

The 2009-10 season ended with the EuroLeague trophy. Barcelona won 20 of their 22 games in the competition, beat CSKA Moscow 64-54 in the semi-finals and, on 9 May 2010 at the Bercy arena in Paris, defeated Olympiacos 86-68 in the final. It was the club’s second EuroLeague title. Juan Carlos Navarro was named Final Four MVP and Pascual received the EuroLeague Coach of the Year award. That season Barça also won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Supercup and the Catalan League.

Eight years on the Barça bench (2010-2016)

Under Pascual, Barcelona reached nine consecutive Liga ACB finals and won the titles of 2011, sweeping Bilbao Basket 3-0, 2012 and 2014, the last two against Real Madrid. He also lifted the Copa del Rey in 2011, in Madrid, and in 2013, in Vitoria, the Spanish Supercup in 2010, 2011 and 2015, and seven straight Catalan League titles. In Europe he reached five Final Fours: 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The club parted ways with him on 22 June 2016, after 3,051 days in charge and 19 trophies.

Panathinaikos and Zenit

In October 2016 he signed for Panathinaikos. In Athens he won the Greek League in 2017 and 2018 and the Greek Cup in 2017, was named the league’s Coach of the Year in both seasons and led the team to the EuroLeague playoffs in each of his two full campaigns. He was dismissed on 20 December 2018.

In February 2020 he replaced Joan Plaza at Zenit Saint Petersburg. In 2021 he took the club to the EuroLeague playoffs for the first time and was named VTB United League Coach of the Year. With Zenit he won the VTB United League in 2022, the VTB Supercup in 2022 and 2023 and the Russian Cup in 2024. He left the club in June 2025 after five seasons.

Return to Barcelona and the move to Dubai

On 13 November 2025 Barça announced his return as the replacement for Joan Peñarroya, with Iñigo Zorzano as his assistant. In April 2026 he reached 300 Liga ACB wins as Barcelona coach, a mark previously achieved at the club only by Aíto García Reneses, and that season he guided the team to the Liga ACB finals against Valencia Basket. On 14 July 2026 he left Barcelona, and the same day Dubai Basketball, which competes in the ABA League and the EuroLeague, announced him as head coach.