Busquets leaves Barcelona, last remaining player from tiki-taka era

Club icon Sergio Busquets is turning his back on FC Barcelona next summer. After fifteen seasons in the main squad with almost every imaginable award, the midfielder and current captain will look for a new adventure.

With Busquets leaves the last player of the legendary tiki-taka era, in which Barcelona conquered the soccer world with flashy combination play.

The now 34-year-old Busquets was also part of the Spanish team that became world champions in 2010 at the expense of the Netherlands and also secured the European title two years later. After the last World Cup, the 143-time international put an end to his impressive international career.

Many big stars left the financially troubled Barcelona in recent years. From Neymar to Lionel Messi. And from Luis Suárez to the recently terminated Gerard Piqué, effective immediately.

Busquets stayed. And he stayed too, as an undisputed midfield controller. Although the years started to count and a logical successor already seemed to have been brought in with Frenkie de Jong. But the two also proved to play excellently together, resulting in the upcoming national title for the completely renovated team.

That will be the ninth championship for Busquets, who has also won the Champions League three times, among other things.

Of the Barcelona that last won the Champions League in 2015, only goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and winger Jordi Alba now remain.

Busquets, who played his 700th game for Barcelona in January, was already in doubt last winter about a transfer to the United States. He, like many other successful generational players, has also been linked with a highly lucrative transfer to the league in Saudi Arabia.