Ronaldinho hails Xavi for restoring "hope" at Barcelona

After his former Blaugrana teammate Xavi rekindled "hope" at the Blaugrana,

Ronaldinho

believes Barca can catch up with the 

toppers 

. 

Barca have risen up the ranks since installing Xavi as head coach in November, going from tenth to third after a 14-game undefeated run in the Spanish top division, which included a 4-0 Clasico thrashing of Madrid. 

have won six LaLiga fixtures in a row, maintaining a clean sheet in the last three games, and their unbeaten record is the longest in Europe's top five leagues.

Barca's next challenge is a visit to Levante on Sunday, as the Catalan club looks to win four consecutive games in the tournament for the first time since December 2018. 

And Ronaldinho, who spent five years with Xavi at Barcelona between 2003 and 2008, feels the former player has restored trust among the Blaugrana faithful. 

"I have returned to take a good look at Barça with Xavi, who has returned and has brought us hope," he told Mundo Deportivo. 

"As my friend and former team-mate that he is, this excites people and me too. When he played, he already had a vision of the game as a coach. 

"He guided the game and I see it very well because he makes us want to watch Barca games again."

By destroying Carlo Ancelotti's team on the road last month, Barca conjured flashbacks of the 2003-04 season, when they overcame Madrid 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu before launching a late title run. 

With a win at Levante, Xavi's squad would close the gap on Madrid to 12 points, with a game in hand, and Ronaldinho believes they can win the title.

"[The 2003-04 season win at Madrid] was a very nice comeback that we have had in our time and it can happen again," he added. 

"As I said, we are excited that Barca will play well again and I think anything is possible."

When asked if Barca could pull off the almost impossible feat of stealing the LaLiga championship from Madrid, the Brazilian legend replied:

"I hope so and as a fan I am hoping that things go well and I think there can be."

While it's unclear where the LaLiga championship will go at the end of the season, one thing is certain: Ronaldinho has no plans to join management or coaching anytime soon.

"The truth is that I have never seen myself this way, it may be that in the future I will, when I have more patience," he said when asked if he would join Xavi as his assistant. 

"It's difficult when you leave football and you have a way of looking at it, wanting others to do things that are very difficult for them to do. So, I still have no patience."

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