Xavi will hope to follow the act of Asamoah Gyan and Raul as he aims to star in the Gulf

• Barcelona legend Xavi was unveiled as a player for Al-Sadd on Thursday
• Asamaoah Gyan and Raul are among those to have impressed in the Gulf
• However, Diego Maradona and Felipe Caicedo have been less successful

By signing for Qatari club Al-Sadd, Barcelona and Spain legend Xavi is on a growing list of well-known players and managers who have chosen to work in the Gulf.

For some, their decision has been successful, financially rewarding and life-enhancing. But others have barely stayed long enough to get a suntan.

Here, Sportsmail takes a look at both the hits and misses:

Xavi was unveiled as a player for Qatari side Al-Sadd in Doha on Thursday

The Barcelona club has become the latest star to swtich to a club in the Middle East

Xavi officially unveiled with Qatari club Al Sadd

Raul - HIT

The forerunner for Xavi, a Spanish and Champions League legend who spent two years in Qatar with Al-Sadd between 2012 and 2014 after a great career in Europe with Real Madrid and Schalke.

Raul didn't like the half-empty stadiums of Qatari football but found the move beneficial in other ways. 'Extraordinary, both personally and professionally,' he said on leaving for New York Cosmos.

Raul spent two years in Qatar with Al-Sadd between 2014 and 2014 after a great career in Europe

Besides playing, Raul also fulfilled an important role as advisor to the country's Aspire Academy, which aims to develop young talent across football and other sports. The players he worked with won the Asian under-19s cup.

On the pitch, he won the Qatar Stars League in his first season and reached the milestone of playing a thousand matches in his career. However, he missed much of his second season due to injury even though he was instrumental in Al Sadd's Emir Cup triumph before he left. In return, his wages were an estimated £200,000-a-week, tax-free.

Raul (right) celebrates with his team-mates after winning the Emir Cup in May 2014