Sergio Busquets will leave Barcelona this summer, ending an 18-year association with the club. The 34-year-old midfielder, who joined the Catalan club’s youth team in 2005, made his senior debut in 2008. He has decided to move on after turning down the offer of a new contract on reduced terms.
“The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barça,” he said in a farewell video released by Barcelona. “It has been an unforgettable journey. I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium and reality has exceeded all my dreams.
“I wouldn’t have believed it you if you had told me when I arrived as a youth player that I would play 15 seasons at the best club in the world and surpass 700 matches. It has been an honour, a dream, a source of pride and meant everything to defend and represent this badge for so many years. Although it has not been an easy decision I think the time has come.”
Busquet, whose 718 matches for Barcelona put him third on the club’s all-time list of appearances, has won eight league titles – surely soon to become nine, with Barcelona 13 points clear with five games left – three Champions Leagues, seven Copas del Rey, seven Spanish Super Cups, three European Super Cups and three Club World Cups. Busquets holds the record for playing in more clásicos than any other player with 48 appearances against Barcelona’s rivals Real Madrid.
He played 143 times for Spain before retiring from international duty last year, starting every game in the triumphant 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 campaigns.
His next stop is expected to be Saudi Arabia as talks are understood to be advanced. A report on the Spanish TV show El Chiringuito de Jugones said Busquets has accepted an offer by Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal along with Lionel Messi. Messi’s father has said the Argentinian has not “signed or agreed” a deal.