Tag: Sergio Busquets

Martino: Messi and Busquets will both debut vs Cruz Azul in Leagues Cup

The legendary duo are both set to make their first Inter Miami appearance on Friday

Inter Miami head coach Tata Martino expects both Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets to play in Friday’s Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul, but isn’t sure if either will start.

Messi and Busquets officially signed with Inter Miami over the weekend, with the longtime teammates each taking part in their first training session with the MLS club on Tuesday.

Neither player has been involved in a competitive match for more than a month: Messi last played in an Argentina friendly against Australia on June 15, while the most recent game for Busquets was Barcelona’s May 28 La Liga match against Mallorca.

Speaking to ESPN Fútbol 12 in Argentina, Martino nevertheless said he expects both players to make their Inter Miami debut on Friday.

“From what I have seen up to now they are going fit to play and it is likely that on Friday they can be there,” Martino said. “Whether that will be as starters or coming in at the half, we will have to make that decision yet, but as I see it, Leo as well as Busi can play [on Friday].”

Martino added that much like Messi has said himself, he believes the 36-year-old’s desire to compete and win will keep him from taking his foot off the gas in MLS.

“What has not changed is his desire to continue competing and winning,” Martino said. “I think it shows a very salient trait Leo has as a football player. His perpetual desire to compete and win. I think that winning the World Cup took a great weight off his back.

“But someone I admire a lot told me that he is coming to MLS carrying an empty suitcase but without all the pressure he had in Barcelona in 2010-2011 or the pressure of the national team. Now, I think I am going to find a very competitive version of him because he has the need to win wearing this shirt now, because he has not won here yet.”

Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images

Martino, who previously won MLS Cup as head coach of Atlanta United, added that there are some unique factors in MLS that even legendary players like Messi and Busquets will need to get used to.

“This is a very physical league, and you have to be in great shape to compete,” Martino said. “There have been very good footballers who have come and at first it has always been difficult for them, because you have to adapt to a football that is not better, not worse, but different.

“Then it’s a very busy league, many long trips, different weather conditions, competition during the week, so you have to have a competitive squad.”

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Phil Neville hopes Sergio Busquets ‘makes the right decision,’ which is definitely not menacing at all

It’s be a real shame if Busquets chose to play somewhere else

Sergio Busquets has a decision to make, and Phil Neville just wants what’s best for him.

The Inter Miami head coach would never dream of forcing Busquets to choose his club over suitors in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere. He just thinks it would be a real shame if the Barcelona legend ended up somewhere else.

“He’s got a big decision to make, and we hope he makes the right decision,” Neville said in quotes published by the Miami Herald.

Busquets announced Wednesday that he would leave Barça at the end of this season. While Neville didn’t outright say that Miami is his definition of the right decision, it’s safe to say he’d like to have one of the all-time great defensive midfielders wearing pink and black in the near future.

Miami has been linked to Busquets in recent months, and perhaps not coincidentally was recently discussed by commissioner Don Garber as the MLS team most likely to land Busquets’ good friend Lionel Messi.

“The most impressive thing is when people talk about the great players, No. 6s, people automatically think of Sergio Busquets,” added Neville. “He’s obviously had a brilliant career at Barcelona and leaving will be the hardest thing he’s ever had to do, to leave the club he’s been at all his life. I’ve witnessed that.”

Neville’s playing career saw him spend 15 years with Manchester United, starting as a 13-year-old in their academy, before moving on to Everton for the final eight seasons of his career.

What makes Busquets right for Miami

For Miami, the allure of Busquets is clear. On the field, the club lost defensive midfielder Gregore to a season-ending foot injury in their third game of the season. They’ve had to lean on Jean Mota, who tends to prefer to play a bit higher up the field, and the Brazilian was just diagnosed with a knee injury that will keep him out for four to six months. On top of that, the Herons currently sit outside the playoff places in the Eastern Conference.

Off the field, signing him would add a star player on a team that hasn’t had a bigger global name since Gonzalo Higuain retired this winter. Any team could use that kind of attendance boost, but Miami seems like a market that responds to star power more than most.

However, Busquets’ decision will be complicated. Per The Athletic, the 34-year-old has an offer in hand from a club in Saudi Arabia, while plenty of other suitors would love to have a player of his profile inking a contract.

For Neville at least, there’s just a clearly correct choice among them.

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After 18 years, Sergio Busquets says this is his last season at Barcelona

Busquets is looking to leave Barça on top

It’s truly the end of an era at the Camp Nou.

Sergio Busquets, after 18 years and over 700 appearances, has announced that this will be his final season with Barcelona.

“Hello culers!” began Busquets’ statement, which the club posted Wednesday on its social media accounts. “The time has come to announce that this will be my last season with Barça.”

Busquets’ announcement comes with Barcelona on the verge of adding to the extensive list of trophies that it has won with him on its books. Barça is atop La Liga by some distance, holding a 13-point edge over Atlético Madrid with five games to play. A single win, or a single point should Atlético drop any points from now until the end of the season, will mark the ninth time Busquets has been part of a La Liga championship-winning side.

“I always dreamed of playing with this shirt and at this stadium, and reality has exceeded all of my dreams,” continued Busquets. “Everything has a beginning and an end, and although it has not been an easy decision, I think the time has come.”

Busquets has been a fixture at the base of the Barcelona midfield for nearly 20 years, and that hasn’t changed even as he prepares to depart the club. He has started 24 of a possible 33 league matches in 2022-23, with his most recent appearance taking him up to 719 in all competitions for the club.

Only Lionel Messi and Barça’s current manager Xavi have more in the team’s history.

Along with the league success, Busquets played a major role in three Champions League titles, three Club World Cup victories, and seven triumphs in the Copa del Rey.

All of that success at the club level came while Busquets racked up 143 caps for Spain, winning the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championship.

What’s next for Busquets?

While Busquets appears to be departing on his own terms, he leaves after a season that underlined the financial realities at Barcelona. Busquets is said to be one of the club’s top earners, and Barça scrambled to register players after a summer spending spree left it in violation of La Liga regulations.

It is not clear where Busquets will end up next. He has been persistently linked to an MLS move over the last two seasons, with Inter Miami top of the list, but The Athletic has reported that his enthusiasm for coming to the United States has dimmed. That report also says that like virtually every famous player right now, he has received a hefty offer to ply his trade in Saudi Arabia.

Speculation as to whether Busquets will end up being the latest big name to end up in the Saudi Pro League is inexorably linked to Messi, his longtime teammate and one of his best friends off the field.

After the announcement, Messi posted a congratulatory message for Busquets on Instagram.

“On the pitch you always wore No. 5, but as a player and a person you are a perfect 10 out of 10, Busi,” wrote Messi. “Thank you for everything we shared on and off the pitch.”

It is looking increasingly likely that Messi will end up accepting an eye-watering sum to play in Saudi Arabia next year. Ironically, those rumors come just as Barcelona is said to be trying to lure Messi back to the club, a situation that likely won’t be helped with Busquets walking out the door.

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