Javier Mascherano hopes Xavi stays at the club beyond the summer with the 35-year-old widely tipped to depart the Camp Nou.
Xavi has as he ponders his next move, as well as being linked with a move to Major League Soccer in the United States.
He has played a supporting role during his 17th season as a first-team player at Barca, and made a rare start in Wednesday's over Almeria -- receiving a huge reception from fans grateful for all he has brought to the club.
Speaking , who died tragically during last summer's World Cup, Mascherano said he hoped to be playing alongside Xavi next season too, but the situation had yet to be resolved.
"Xavi has already said his future is still not clear," Mascherano said. "The ovation he received from the Camp Nou was no surprise to me. He is the player who has won most trophies at this club.
"It is logical that the fans want him to stay, but the decision is personal. I hope he stays, for all he brings on and off the field. He represents everything it is to be a Barca player and how you should behave. An example for those of us coming up from below."
Asked about the future of right-back Dani Alves, who also appears set to leave the club when his contract ends in June after , Mascherano said he hoped a solution could be found to keep the Brazilian.
"I would also like [Alves] to stay because he is one of the best players this club has had, and an impressive person," the Argentina international added.
La Liga leaders Barca were again not at their fluid best against Almeria on Wednesday, but picked up a convincing win to keep the gap to second placed Madrid at four points.
Mascherano said being able to battle through difficult moments over the course of the current campaign had strengthened the team as a whole.
"It is not easy to always be brilliant, but the team competes and is still going on all fronts," he said. "We have [winning] all the trophies in our own hands.
"In recent games it has been difficult, as the opponent also plays, but in the end we were superior. We know we need to improve and to arrive at end the alive we will need to go through difficult moments.
"I would not change any moment of this season, all that has happened has helped to make us stronger. We had difficult moments and we overcame them."
On Saturday, Mascherano and his team visit Sevilla -- who have not lost at home since Barca won there 14 months ago. He and his teammates were not travelling south thinking that anything less than another win would be a good result, he maintained.
"The Sevilla game is just as important as the other seven which we have left, we know it is a difficult place to go because Sevilla are very strong at home," he said. "But we need the three points.
"Madrid are a great team who will test us right until the end. If we think we can drop points, as they will too, we would be wrong."
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