Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets joins Inter Miami: Decoding his stats
After 18 years of stay at FC Barcelona, Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets has decided to try out a different challenge. The 34-year-old has joined Major League Soccer outfit Inter Miami, where he will be reunited with his former team-mate Lionel Messi. They both spent 13 years together in Barcelona and will now spend the twilight of their careers in Miami. Here's more.
Why does this story matter?
Busquets is considered as one of the best defensive midfielders of this generation. He was part of the exceptional sextuple-winning team that was led by Pep Guardiola in 2009. He was also a crucial member of the Spanish national team that won the World Cup in 2010. For all of these 18 long years, Busquets has served the club with dedication, honesty, and passion.
Third-most appearances for Barcelona
Busquets made 722 appearances for Barca and ends his chapter here as the third most-capped player after Messi (778) and Xavi Hernandez (767). Andres Iniesta (674) and Gerard Pique (616) are the two other players with 600-plus appearances.
A look at his overall numbers for Barcelona
Busquets made his senior team debut in the 2008-09 season and for 15 successive campaigns, he made 40-plus appearances. In 722 games across competitions, he scored 18 goals. He made 481 appearances in La Liga, scoring 11 times. As per Footystats, Busquets also contributed with 44 assists in all competitions for the Spanish league champions.
Breaking down Busquets's La Liga 2022-23 season in numbers
Busquets made 30 appearances in La Liga 2022-23, making four assists. As per Opta, he created 25 chances and mustered two shots on target. He had a pass accuracy of 88.67%. He also attempted 15 through balls. Busquets made 58 tackles, 31 clearances, 27 interceptions, six blocks, and completed 11 take-ons. He also won 54 aerial duels and 108 ground duels.
A look at his trophy cabinet
Busquets has been an integral part of Barcelona's success over. In this long time with Barcelona, he has won the Champions League thrice (2008-09, 2010-11, 2013-14) alongside winning La Liga nine times He won the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey seven times each. Similarly, he won the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup on three counts.
Ninth La Liga title for Busquets in 2022-23
Busquets won his ninth La Liga title in the 2022-23 season. He joined an elite list with Andreas Iniesta and Gerard Pique, who have also won nine league titles for Barcelona. They are only behind Messi, who had won 10 titles. Overall, Real Madrid's Gento leads the race with the most La Liga titles (12) followed by Messi and Jose Martinez Pirri (10).
Third-most caps for Spain
Just like Barcelona, Busquets has been an exceptional servant of the Spanish national team. He made his debut in 2009 against Turkey. He earned 143 caps for La Roja and stands third in this regard. Only Sergio Ramos (180) and Iker Casillas (167) are ahead. Busquets announced his retirement last December. He won the World Cup (2010) and the Euros (2012) with Spain.
Busquets had offers from Saudi Arabia
Like many stars, Saudi Arabia also offered Busquets a very lucrative deal. Some of the outfits were in contention to sign the defensive midfielder as his contract with Barcelona is set to expire. However, he wanted to join Inter Miami to join forces with Messi.
