The midfielder Sergio Busquets stated Wednesday that he would leave Barcelona at the conclusion of his current contract in June, bringing to a close a very successful period with the club.
Busquets said on his Instagram account, “The time has come to announce that this will be my final season at Barcelona.”
“This has been a trip that you will never forget.”
Busquets has been a part of Barcelona’s championship teams on several occasions, including three times in the Champions League and eight times in La Liga prior to this season. The Catalans are now in contention to win La Liga for the first time in four years.
Since his debut with the first team in 2008, when Pep Guardiola was still Barca’s head coach, the 34-year-old has been one of the club’s most important players, and he has played for the club over 700 times to this point.
He did not comment on where he would head next, although Spanish rumors claim that he could transfer to a squad in Saudi Arabia. He did not confirm this information himself.
“It has been a privilege, a dream, and a source of pride. Busquets stated, “To be able to defend and represent this badge for so many years has meant everything to me, but everything has a beginning and an end.”
“Even though this was not a simple choice to make, I believe the time has come to make it,” she said.
The coach of Barcelona, Xavi Hernandez, who spent many years playing in the team’s midfield with Busquets, expressed his desire for the midfielder to return for the next season but noted that the choice was ultimately up to Busquets.
Inter Miami has been considered as a potential destination for the seasoned player after his contract with Barcelona expires, and this has been a theory that has persisted for some time. Inter Miami is one of the clubs that has been discussed.
However, during the last few days, the player has been mentioned in the Spanish media in connection with a possible transfer to the premier league in Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi, a former striker for Barcelona who is also a close friend of Busquets, is another player who might wind up in the oil-rich kingdom. According to insiders close to the discussions, it is a “done deal” for the Argentine forward to transfer to the Middle East. Busquets is another player who could end up in the oil-rich kingdom.
However, Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, stated on Tuesday that the World Cup champion will not make a decision regarding his future until the end of the current season.
Busquets was an integral part of the Spanish national team for nearly 15 years before he announced his retirement from international duty in December. During that time, Spain won both the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012.