Busquets retires from international football

Sergio Busquets quit playing football for his country after Spain was knocked out of the 2022 World Cup by Morocco in the round of 16.

He had captained the Spain side in the tournament, but, having missed the final penalty in the shoot-out that followed, he made public something he had already decided – that this World Cup would be his last major competition.

He took to social media after the announcement, saying what an honour it had been to play for his country.

🇪🇸 143 caps
🏆 2010 World Cup winner
🏆 2012 EURO Cup winner

Sergio Busquets has announced his retirement from international football 👑

A true 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝 of the game ❤️ pic.twitter.com/3i00nJbMgT

— FootballFunnys (@FootballFunnnys) December 16, 2022

That brought an end to an international career which saw him make 143 appearances for his country, scoring twice. He had made 17 World Cup appearances, which is an all-time Spanish record. During that period he took part in four World Cups and three European Championships, and was an ever present player under a succession of coaches.

He made his international debut in a 2-1 win away to Turkey in 2008, and only Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas have more caps for Spain.

However, he is now 34 and believes that it is better for him to focus on his club career for what remains of his career and that it is now time to give younger men the chance at the international level.

His retirement is the end of an era in another respect, as he was the last surviving member of the team that won the World Cup in 2010 and then the European Championships two years later under coach Vicente del Bosque.

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Xavi and Andrés Iniesta attracted all the headlines with the style of football that became known as Tiki-Taka, but it was Busquets behind them that allowed it all to happen, providing a screen in front of the defence, and playing simple balls forward enabling the pair to initiate attacks.

With manager Luis Enrique also stepping down following the Morocco defeat, Spain will have to rebuild from the top down.

His domestic career is also clouded in uncertainty. He is club captain at Barcelona, the side that he joined as a seven year old, and for whom he has played nearly 700 times.

However, he is out of contract at the end of the season, but, despite having taken a pay cut to help the club through its financial dealings, it does not look like a new deal will be forthcoming. He has said that he wants clarity on his situation by February.

Instead he is being linked with a move to the MLS, with Inter Miami, the club part-owned by David Beckham.

Busquets is one of the most underrated players of his generation. This is partly because he doesn’t like to talk to the media and is happy to work in the background. And he is also aware that the role of defensive midfielder is not a glamorous one, and that much of the work that he does on a football field will often be overlooked.

He has been accused in the past of play-acting, and overdramatizing the impact of certain challenges.

Nevertheless, Spain now know that they have a Busquets’ size hole in their team that they need to fill right now.