2023-05-13 13:04:20
Barcelona coach Xavi believes that a new era will begin in the Catalan club, with captain Sergio Busquets announcing his departure at the end of the current season, following his contract expired.
The pivot player was a key element in the club’s successes, winning three titles in the Champions League, and he might secure the ninth title in the domestic league if he beat Espanyol on Sunday.
Busquets held a defensive position in the middle behind stars Andres Iniesta and Xavi, while the trio participated in Spain’s successful campaign in the 2010 World Cup when La Roja won the only World Cup in its history.
However, the current Spanish coach, Xavi, expressed his hopes that the current young duo, Pedri and Gavi, would surpass the achievements of the trio in Barcelona, ”We are working to form a new (era).”
“I hope that players like Gavi and Pedri will surpass us, this life, this sport,” the coach, who came from the Qatari club Al-Sadd, said in a press conference on Saturday.
And the former midfielder added, “I hope that they will surpass us.. I hope that they will follow in the footsteps of Busquets and achieve his successes. A new era begins.”
Busquets, 34, played more than 700 matches with Barcelona, raising 31 titles on his way. But his highest position in the Ballon d’Or award for the best player in the world was 20th in 2012.
“He is the best defensive midfielder I’ve seen,” Xavi continued. “Not naming him the Ballon d’Or was unfair to me.”
Busquets had previously revealed that he prefers to focus on cups rather than individual titles, and that Sunday will be his chance to win the league title for the first time since 2019, given the big difference with his closest competitors.
Xavi talked regarding the derby once morest Espanyol, “We are 200% ready… I see the players training with full energy and strength to win the League.”
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