Sergio Busquets Announces Barcelona Departure After 18 Years

Longtime Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets has announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season. 

A member of Barcelona’s golden generation, which featured stars like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué, Busquets won eight La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies and seven Copas del Rey. And the 34-year-old now looks set to win another Spanish league trophy with Barcelona 13 points clear atop the table.

“It hasn’t been an easy decision but the time has come,” the 34-year-old Busquets said in a statement, per AP. ”It has been an honor, a dream and a reason for pride to have been able to wear this badge.

“… It has been an unforgettable journey. Since I was a child coming to the matches or watching them on TV, I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium, and reality has exceeded all my dreams. I wouldn’t have believed 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, the club of my life.”

At 15 years old, Busquets joined the club’s academy in 2005 and later made his senior team debut under Pep Guardiola in ’08. The Spaniard, who won the ’10 World Cup and the Euros in ’12, served as Barcelona’s captain for the last two seasons. He has 718 appearances for the club, the third-most in Barça history. 

His last potential match with Barcelona could come in the league finale on June 4 against Celta Vigo. Busquets has not indicated where, or if, he will play next season.