BARCELONA, 4 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The unexpected announcement of the withdrawal of Gerard Piqué, which on Thursday, November 3, 2022 left Barcelona and the world of football surprised, makes the current Blaugrana captain Sergio Busquets become the only survivor of Pep Guardiola’s Barça, from that team that won the first triplet and only ‘sextet’ in the history of the centenary Barcelona entity.
Sergio Busquets, born in Sabadell on July 16, 1988, made his debut at just 20 years of age with the Barça first team, in a draw against Racing de Santander (1-1). It was September 13, 2008 and a ‘Guardiola era’ began, with doubts, that started with 1 point added out of 6 in the League and that, that same course, would celebrate a historic triplet. A four-year cycle paid off with a total of 14 titles.
Throughout those four seasons in which the best Barça in history was built, the one that even surpassed Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, many players passed through the Camp Nou. But, of the indisputable starters and who left their mark, only Gerard Piqué and Sergio Busquets still survived. As of Sunday, once ‘Geri’ says goodbye to his fans this Saturday, or the duel against Osasuna the following week, the ‘5’ will be left alone.
It was a team, Pep Guardiola’s, with a lot of weight from La Masia. With Piqué and Busquets, obviously, but also with Xavi Hernández -now a Blaugrana coach and coach who will say goodbye to Piqué and, who knows, to Busquets-, Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Víctor Valdés or Pedro and above all with Leo Messi as a prominent figure. All this combined with the presence of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Dani Alves, David Villa or Javier Mascherano, among many others, as the ideal complement to ‘Barça DNA’.
With the departure of Gerard Piqué, that essence is lost even more. The Bonanova center-back, trained at La Masia and returned to the team in 2008 after his time at Manchester United (on loan to Zaragoza included), will leave FC Barcelona with 30 titles won. As the most successful central. Like the player who moved around the Camp Nou as if he were a manager and who, in his emotional farewell video, looked at the box assuring that one day he will return.
Now, from November 8, Sergio Busquets will be the only thing that resists from that great Barça, from that generation that made their own, and even some strangers, vibrate throughout those 14 titles with 2 Champions Leagues included. He has the same 30 titles as Gerard Piqué, it will be necessary to see if the season is redirected and he can add some more than the central defender. That yes, with the 695 games of him, 18 goals and 36 assists, Busquets surpasses the already historic ‘3’ culé.
Without reaching the level of Gerard Piqué or Sergio Busquets, there is another survivor of Pep Guardiola’s Barça in the current squad; Sergio Robert. The one from Reus, who has minutes with Xavi Hernández again after his last injury, made his debut with the first team under the command of the one from Santpedor in the 2010/11 season.
In total, adding the duels of that campaign and the following (2011/12), Sergi Roberto played 7 games, scored 2 goals and provided 2 assists with the Blaugrana first team. Of course, without having the importance of a ‘Busi’ who is, at all levels and effects, the last great survivor of what is considered the best Barça in history.
