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'It has been an honour': Barcelona legend Busquets to leave club

Wednesday May 10 2023
Sergio Busquets

Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets on January 22, 2023 poses for pictures with a jersey reading "700" after playing more than 700 matches at Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. PHOTO | JOSEP LAGO | AFP

By AFP
By MONITOR

Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona in June at the end of his contract, the midfielder confirmed Wednesday, ending a highly successful era at the club.

"The moment has arrived to announce this is my last season at Barcelona," said Busquets on Instagram.

"It has been an unforgettable journey," he added.

Busquets has won the UEFA Champions League (UCL) three times with Barcelona and the Spanish La Liga on eight occasions before this season, with the Catalans set to triumph again for the first time in four years.

The 34-year-old has been a key player for Barca since breaking into the first team under their former coach Pep Guardiola in 2008 and becoming the club's captain in 2021.

Busquets is Barcelona's third-highest appearance maker of all time, playing for the club on 718 occasions and lifting 31 trophies in total.

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He did not say where he might go next, with Spanish reports suggesting he may move to a team in Saudi Arabia.

"It has been an honour, dream and pride. It has been everything to be able to defend and represent this badge for so many years, but everything has a beginning and an end," continued Busquets.

"Although it has not been an easy decision, I think the time has come," Busquets said.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez, who played alongside Busquets in the team's midfield for several years, wanted the midfielder to stay next season, but said the decision was up to him.

Busquets' team-mates past and present paid tribute to him on social media after he announced his future lay outside the club.

"My friend, after so much we've lived through together, what can I say that you don't know?" wrote Barcelona defender Jordi Alba on Instagram.

"You're leaving your home, having made an indelible imprint on Barcelona's history. More than 700 games and a fundamental part of so many titles, and glorious nights that all Barca fans will forever remember," Alba added.

Former Barcelona playmaker Andres Iniesta said Busquets was "number one".

'An example'

"You are the best, Sergio, I will miss you," wrote Barca midfielder Sergi Roberto, who is set to inherit the captain's armband.

"An example in all senses, I have been lucky to share many moments with you and it will not be easy day to day without you," Roberto added.

Barcelona hailed him as "one of the best players ever to represent the club".

"Busquets' story at Barca is one of class and commitment in the centre of midfield," read a statement on the club website.

"His talent and his ability to read the game has made him one of the best defensive midfielders in the game," the statement added.

Busquets has been notable as a ball-playing pivot, using perfect positioning and anticipation rather than physicality to recover the ball for his side.

The veteran has long been thought to favour a move to Major League Soccer in the US at the end of his Barcelona contract, with Inter Miami one of the teams mentioned.

However, in recent days the player has been linked in Spanish media with a move to the Saudi Arabian top flight.

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