Inter Miami’s Busquets Announces Retirement After Illustrious Career
BARCELONA, Spain – Sergio Busquets, the celebrated Spanish midfielder renowned for orchestrating play alongside Lionel Messi and Andrés Iniesta, will retire at the end of the current Major League Soccer season with Inter Miami. The 37-year-old’s departure marks the end of a career spanning nearly two decades at the highest levels of club and international soccer.
Busquets is widely considered one of the most influential defensive midfielders of his generation, anchoring the legendary Barcelona midfield trio with Xavi Hernández and Iniesta that powered the club to unprecedented success. He debuted for Barcelona in 2008 under Pep Guardiola, ultimately appearing in 722 matches – the third-most in club history behind Xavi and Messi – and securing nine Spanish league titles and three Champions League crowns.
Despite not being known for speed or physical stature, Busquets’s tactical intelligence, precise passing, and tenacious tackling made him an indispensable component of both Barcelona and Spain’s dominant sides. Barcelona hailed him as “a cornerstone of the finest Barça side of all time.”
Busquets earned 143 caps for Spain, playing a pivotal role in the nation’s 2010 World Cup victory and their 2012 European Championship triumph. He captained the Spanish national team before retiring from international competition in 2022.
In 2023, Busquets reunited with former teammates Messi, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba at Inter Miami. The club acknowledged his “extraordinary career” and affirmed his status as ”one of the greatest midfielders in football history.”
Tributes poured in from across the soccer world. “What a privilege it was to play with you all those years, brother,” Iniesta posted on Instagram. “Your way of playing was one of a kind, and we will never forget it.”
Sergio Ramos, a longtime rival with Real Madrid and a former Spain teammate, lauded Busquets’s character and skill. “You always stood out thanks to your class, vision, and talent,” Ramos wrote on X.
