Moving to Saudi Arabia?
Emotional captain leaves FC Barcelona after 18 years
05/10/2023 2:13 p.m
Another club icon is leaving FC Barcelona: After Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets is also leaving the Catalans. For 18 years, Barca has been the ‘club of my life’ for the captain. Ironically, a move to Saudi Arabia could bring him back together with Messi.
After 18 years, Sergio Busquets is leaving FC Barcelona at the end of the season. The Spanish football club and the 34-year-old midfielder announced this in an emotional video on social media channels. “It’s time to announce that this will be my last season with Barça,” said Busquets in the video, which is accompanied by images of his successful club career and melancholy music: “It’s been an unforgettable journey. Ever since I went to the games as a child came or watched them on TV, I always dreamed of playing in this shirt and in this stadium. And the reality even exceeded all my dreams.”
The world and European champion switched to the Catalans’ youth department in 2005, after one season in the B team he made the leap to the pros. In the years that followed, he developed into a central figure in defensive midfield, celebrating great success alongside superstars such as Lionel Messi and his current coach Xavi. With Busquets as the thinker and driver, Barça won the Champions League three times, and this season the joint ninth championship title in the Primera División beckons.
Barça is the “club of my life, of which I have always been and will always be a fan,” said Busquets: “It was an honor, a dream, a source of pride.” Leaving his heart club was “not an easy decision”, “but I think the time has come”.
In his 15 years with the pros, Busquets made 718 appearances for FC Barcelona, lifting more than 30 trophies with the club. Whether the end of the Catalans also means the end of his playing career was not clear from the announcement. According to media reports, the Spaniard has received an offer from Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia. The club is also reportedly trying to get a transfer coup with Busquet’s ex-teammate Messi. A commitment in the US American league does not seem to be out of the question either.