BARCELONA, Spain (AP) \u2014 Sergio Busquets was a maestro in midfield, the one who recovered the ball, started attacks and delivered that key pass for superstar teammates like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta to turn into goals in Barcelona\u2019s heyday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 37-year-old Spanish world champion will soon end his hugely successful career, retiring from soccer at the end of his current season with Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team said Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Busquets is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, forming a storied three-man midfield at Barcelona with Iniesta and Xavi Hern\u00e1ndez behind Messi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Busquets debuted for Barcelona in 2008 under Pep Guardiola and went on to play 722 matches for the club \u2014 putting him third all-time behind Xavi and Messi \u2013 while winning nine Spanish league titles and the Champions League three times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He wasn\u2019t fast or ripped with muscles. He rarely scored. But his lanky frame belied a tenacious tackler and an expert passer, making him the ideal anchorman for the best teams both Barcelona and Spain have ever had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barcelona called him \u201ca cornerstone of the finest Bar\u00e7a side of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He played 143 games for Spain, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012. He was Spain’s captain upon retiring from international competition in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, Busquets joined Inter Miami where he was reunited with Messi and other former Barcelona teammates Luis Su\u00e1rez and Jordi Alba. The team said Busquets has had an \u201cextraordinary career\u201d and is \u201cone of the greatest midfielders in football history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former teammates \u2014 and rivals \u2014 praised him on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat a privilege it was to play with you all those years, brother,\u201d Iniesta wrote on Instagram. \u201cYour way of playing was one of a kind, and we will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, Busquets\u2019s club rival and his teammate with Spain, recalled their time shared on the field as well as Busquets’ \u201cmodest and authentic character.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c(You were) a rival most of the time, other times my teammate, (but) you always stood out thanks to your class, vision, and talent,\u201d Ramos wrote on X.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"