FC Barcelona and Spain legend Sergio Busquets will retire at the end of the current Major League Soccer season, the Inter Miami midfielder announced in a social media post on Thursday.
The 37-year-old had previously hinted that 2025 would be his final season, as he did not have a contract beyond the end of the current campaign, and it was reported earlier this week that his decision had been made.
“I feel that the time has come to say goodbye to my career as a professional soccer player. It has been almost 20 years enjoying this incredible story that I have always dreamed of,” Busquets said on Instagram.
“These will be my last months on the pitch. I’m retiring very happy, proud, fulfilled, and, above all, grateful. A heartfelt thank you to everyone and to football for everything. You will always be a part of this beautiful story.”
the Herons Supporters’ Shield
Few careers parallel that of Busquets when it comes to winning and pure dominance as a transitional midfielder. For Barcelona, his tenure looms large, with 18 goals and 46 assists in 722 appearances, contributing to a combined 34 trophies, including three FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Champions Leagues and nine La Liga titles.
On the international stage, Busquets amassed 143 caps with Spain and played a key role in helping Spain win the 2010 FIFA World Cup title, as well as the 2012 European Championship, where he played every minute. Through his tenure with La Roja, he helped define an era of tiki-taka soccer that went on to influence the game worldwide.
At the height of his career, he played in the best midfield of a generation alongside his Spain and Barcelona teammates Andrés Iniesta and Xavi. His best Barcelona years also saw him form partnerships with current Miami teammates Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba.
Sergio Busquets All-Time Trophies
While the tall Spaniard was not the imposing force that often comes with being a defensive midfielder, his touch and class elevated him above the rest. Those aspects famously earned him praise from former Spain head coach Vicente del Bosque in 2010, when many doubted Busquets’s inclusion in the roster.
“If I could be a player now, I’d like to be like Busquets,” Del Bosque said at the time. “He can play.”
Following his retirement from international football in 2022 and departure from Barcelona in 2023, he joined Miami as part of the Barcelona quartet. He helped them win the 2023 Leagues Cup and 2024 Supporters’ Shield, bringing his career trophy haul to 36.
Now, though, he hopes to close out his career on top and will take on Miami’s final five regular-season games before opening the 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs with a first-round Best of Three Series, a stage past which Miami has never advanced.
And fittingly, it will come alongside Messi, Suárez and Alba, who have been alongside him for most of his career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Beautiful Story’—Sergio Busquets Announces Retirement Date.
