Busquets, the captain who has the Clásico in his head

Sergio Busquets is more than just the extension of Xavi on the pitch. He is one of the coach’s best friends. One of the ideal people to share his illusions about the Clásico, but also his fears. Curiously, Busquets reached his Clásico number 43 today and surpassed his coach, who played 42. The Barça captain now only has Messi (45) ahead of him.

Busquets arrives at the Bernabéu game well loaded with games. This season he already has 3,810 minutes in 45 games. Surely for this reason, Luis Enrique has decided to give him a break in the double friendly commitment of the National Team. He is healthy and sensible. “He deserves it because it is essential. What Busquets has given Barça and the National Team is outrageously good. And that they have criticized him… Luis has done well”, said Xavi yesterday. After a somewhat darker time before and after the pandemic, Busquets has been at an excellent level for the last season and a half. Next year he became Messi’s best partner and played a fantastic Euro Cup just recovered from Covid. With Xavi, he has recovered old automatisms of the game. His weight in the team grows again. He has football (88% passing accuracy this year), and the Clásico, in his head.