'Mutant' Busquets

From the legendary Camp Nou to sunny Florida, Busquets’ journey is not just the story of a midfielder, but also the legacy of a football era. He is both a shadow of the past and the soul of a future where brains are more important than legs.

Goodbye Camp Nou, closing a 15-year journey

On May 28, 2023, after the Barcelona vs Mallorca match, tens of thousands of Camp Nou spectators fell silent as Busquets waved goodbye. It was a farewell after 15 years in the first team, where he, Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta created the greatest team in history. But it wasn't until 2025, when he himself confirmed that he would retire at Inter Miami, that the curtain finally closed on his career.

Busquets is the last survivor of the Barcelona side that defeated Manchester United 3-1 in the 2011 Champions League final – a match that was considered the epitome of modern attacking football. Pep Guardiola, who discovered him and brought him from the youth team to the first team in 2008, said: “He is the best. He always reads the game and is one step ahead.”

Former Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque said: “You watch the game, you don’t see Busquets. But when you look at Busquets, you see the whole game.”

Those accolades became a manifesto for Busquets' style of play - a player who rarely appeared in the highlights, but was the hidden conductor of every symphony.

Calling Busquets “the best defensive midfielder in the history of Spain” (as Xavi put it) is not enough. Robert Moreno, former assistant coach of Spain and Barcelona, once said: “That is not the right description. A holding midfielder usually only knows how to defend. Busquets is different. He creates beauty from that position.”

If Claude Makelele was considered the model for shutting down the opposition’s attack, Busquets takes that role to another level. The ball doesn’t stop when it comes to him, but immediately opens up combinations, presses and dictates the game. Busquets doesn’t just stop the opposition, he unlocks the play for the whole team.

Guardiola’s decision in 2008 – to choose the slight lad over more physical midfielders – was a game-changer. As Casar Menotti once said: “Busquets is like an extinct species.” He doesn’t run much, he doesn’t have muscles, but he controls the game with rhythm and intelligence.

Guardiola said: “He solves everything with his brain.” Moreno elaborated: “Before the game, I often ask Busquets: ‘Busi, what do you think?’ And he analyses the opponent down to the last detail – from the pressing, to the referee’s temperament. On the pitch, he is like a coach, giving instructions with his eyes and positions.”

What’s amazing is that Busquets often makes observations that even the analysts in the stands with their computer screens miss. He doesn’t need dressing room speeches, he leads by presence. When Busquets is around, his teammates know what to do.

Busquets is a Barcelona legend.

15 years in the first team, plus three at La Masia, Busquets has become the embodiment of Barcelona’s DNA. Moreno once asserted: “If Busquets played for Liverpool, he wouldn’t be able to run box-to-box. But in a system that prioritizes possession, pressing after losing the ball, he is number one.”

This also explains why, when Busquets left Barca, the club could not find a worthy replacement. Because he is not just a position, but also an idea.

An “abnormality” in physical football

In an era of increasingly fast, physical and transitional football, Busquets is an exception. He is not explosive, not muscular, but he dominates the game with his intelligence. Messi is called “the alien” because he takes football to a technical level, while Busquets represents simplicity - turning simplicity into art.

Johan Cruyff once said: “Playing simple football is the hardest thing”. And Busquets is a living proof. He made the whole world realize: football does not always need speed, sometimes just a clear head to make the rhythm flow.

Busquets has a huge collection of titles: 3 Champions League, 9 La Liga, 7 Copa del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cup, 1 World Cup 2010 and 1 Euro 2012. But his legacy goes far beyond numbers.

He changed the way the defensive midfielder was viewed: from being a mere “shield” to being a “brain”. A whole generation after him, from Rodri to Frenkie de Jong, all left their mark. But as Moreno once said: “Even if Kimmich or Tchouaméni were there, the void left by Busquets would still be irreplaceable.”

Busquets plays hard at Inter Miami.

Busquets chose Inter Miami as his final destination, where he, Messi and Alba brought the European breeze to MLS. But for him, this was also a journey that ended peacefully, away from the pressure of Europe.

When the 2025 MLS season concludes, Busquets will hang up his boots. From Camp Nou to Miami, the journey marks not only the end of a player’s career, but also the end of an ideology of football: control, rhythm and intelligence.

Busquets will leave the pitch, but his image will forever remain at Camp Nou, in every pass, every way Barca circulates the ball. He is Barca personified - a symbol of the style of play that made the whole world look up to him.

Sergio Busquets - from La Masia boy to great brain, ending his career with an immortal legacy.

Source: https://znews.vn/di-nhan-busquets-post1588579.html