It’s a tribute as Spanish clubs, and especially FC Barcelona, love them. This Saturday, ahead of the reception of Getafe (victory of Barça, 1-0), the Catalan club organized a small ceremony in honor of Sergio Busquets, a few seconds before he took part in his 700th match with the club. On the lawn, the midfielder received from the hands of his president Joan Laporta flocked the number “700”, with which he then posed alongside his children.
The whole thing took place under the ovations and the songs in his honor of the public of Camp Nou, delighted to honor his captain. At the same time, Busquets was applauded by everyone involved in the game, starting with his teammates, whom he thanked before taking his place on the pitch. The realization of La Liga also did not fail to dwell on Xavi, the current coach of Barça, former teammate of Busquets, whose eyes shone.
At 34, Busquets, who was trained at Barça, is playing his 18th season at the club, his 15th as a professional. He won La Liga eight times, the King’s Cup seven times and the Champions League three times, which inevitably makes him one of the darlings of Blaugrana fans. With 700 games played, he is the club’s third most capped player, behind Lionel Messi (778) and… Xavi (767), his current coach. He will probably not have the opportunity to overtake them. The Catalan leaders do not seem convinced to offer him a contract extension. Busquets could head for Saudi Arabia or the American championship.
The native of Sabadell, a small city north of Barcelona, played his first La Liga match on September 13, 2008 against Santander. Since then, his career has never left the heights. 143 times selected with his national team, he was world champion in 2010 and European champion in 2012.