Busquets becomes third player with most Barça appearances

Ever since Pep Guardiola promoted him to the first team in 2008, Busquets has not looked back and he is still a key figure for club and country to this day.

When Sergio Busquets made his FC Barcelona debut in a 1-1 draw with Real Racing Club de Santander in September 2008, few could imagine quite how important he was going to become, and just how quickly. Barça’s new manager in that moment, Pep Guardiola, pulled him up from the reserves and installed him into the heart of midfield, where he has stayed to this day.

Busquets is still a key player for Barça under his current coach and former teammate Xavi Hernández, a fact reflected in the midfielder passing a significant milestone on Thursday night. By starting against Real Sociedad in LaLiga Santander, Busquets moved beyond Andrés Iniesta to become the FC Barcelona player with the third most appearances in the club’s history – with 675 and counting.

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Ahead of him are only Xavi, on 767, and Lionel Messi, who played for the club a record 778 times, statistics which highlight Busquets’ legacy over more than a decade at the Camp Nou.

His trophy cabinet provides further proof, with eight LaLiga Santander triumphs and three Champions League trophies, among various other awards and titles, including the 2010 World Cup with Spain.

Despite his many successes, Busquets is not a player or person who takes the limelight and often is at his best when he goes unnoticed, quietly pulling the strings for Barça’s midfield from the pivot role.

Although some wondered if he was declining, at the age of 33, Xavi’s arrival and restoration of FC Barcelona’s traditional game has given Busquets in particular a second wind.

Busquets’ rapid rise under Guardiola and Del Bosque

It was a bold choice from Guardiola to lean on the unproven 20-year-old in 2008, but one which quickly paid dividends as FC Barcelona waltzed to a remarkable treble. The Champions League final victory over Manchester United in Rome in 2009 allowed Busquets to follow in the footsteps of his father Carles, the former Barça goalkeeper who won the competition in 1992, albeit as a substitute.

“He plays always thinking of others,” explained Guardiola. “He understands messages immediately, knows what the team needs and adapts to it discreetly, he sees problems and provides solutions. He plays with simplicity and clarity.”

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque, like most who watched Busquets’ debut season with Barça, was quick to bring him into the national team and then recreate the Catalan club’s midfield trio at the South Africa World Cup in 2010, with Spain lifting the trophy for the first time.

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“You watch the game, you don’t see Busquets,” said Del Bosque. “You watch Busquets, you see the whole game.”

Current Spain coach Luis Enrique is similarly faithful to Busquets and he has made 133 appearances for his country, meaning he is level with Xavi and behind only Sergio Ramos (180) and Iker Casillas (167).

Although he played as a striker at youth level before moving to FC Barcelona, his professional career has been in defensive midfield and Busquets is not known for his goalscoring, with just 17 strikes over the past 14 years.He might not be particularly quick or strong, but his reading of the game and footballing intelligence is exceptional.

A tenet of Barça’s positional play, always in the right place at the right time, what makes Busquets so brilliant is the same thing that perhaps denies him the same accolades that are lavished on some of his former teammates.

However, those at the club’s helm, from Guardiola to Xavi, via Luis Enrique, know just how crucial he is and that is reflected in the numbers, as he passes Iniesta and moves into the top three appearances makers in FC Barcelona’s history.