Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez refused to criticise Real Madrid after they were knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester City, who he said are the best team in the world.

City beat Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday to progress to the final 5-1 on aggregate after a draw in the Spanish capital last week. Pep Guardiola's side will meet Inter Milan in June's showpiece in Istanbul.

Xavi acknowledges Barca fans will have enjoyed watching their Clasico rivals -- who have won five Champions Leagues in the last decade -- lose, but preferred to focus on the strength of City when analysing the tie.

"I don't like the word 'baño' [thrashing] in football," Xavi said in a news conference on Friday when asked for his thoughts on Madrid being hammered in Manchester.

"Words like that and 'failure' are not constructive. Look, City were massively superior in the game this week and they took advantage of that.

"That was not the case at the Bernabeu [in the first leg], but they were worthy winners overall. They are the best team in the world."