An ode to the unsung hero: Sergio Busquets

“He’s the best defensive central midfielder in the world. If I was reincarnated as a player, I’d like to be like him”, said the former Barcelona manager, Pep Guardiola.

It was quite a compliment, coming from someone of Guardiola’s stature and the player on the receiving end was none other than the Brilliant mind of Barcelona, Sergio Busquets. Ever since the Catalan cemented his place in the 11, he has often been the first name on the sheet for the Blaugranas and arguably the best central defensive midfielder in the world today. Yes, it is quite a claim with the likes of De Rossi, Alonso, Vidal present in world football today but one must take a step back, putting aside all the preconceptions about this gifted-midfielder and ponder on what impact he has on the pitch.

When Pep Guardiola was made the manager of Barcelona in 2008-09, he brought Sergio along with him into the 1st team. Sergio wasn’t a famous name at the Camp Nou, and there were many questions raised with regard to his promotion as there was immense competition in the center of the park, in the form of Yaya Toure & Keita. But Sergio surprisingly ousted Yaya to form a brilliant partnership alongside midfield maestros Xavi & Iniesta.

The trio were instrumental in Barcelona winning the treble and have been considered a formidable force ever since. His performances did not go unnoticed as he got the nod from national coach Vicente del Bosque the following season. However, it was too big an ask for Sergio to oust Alonso out of the La Rojas lineup as the Catalan had just stepped into the International Area, but subtle changes were made to fit both Busquets & Alonso into the lineup. The desired results were produced for the La Rojas with the double pivot, winning both the FIFA World Cup 2010 & UEFA Euro 2012.

Sergio Busquets is not the typical box-to-box midfielder of the Schweinsteiger or the Yaya Toure mould. He possesses those qualities which are most required for the traditional tiki-taka of the Catalans. The role he plays is of a complex nature as he has numerous tasks to be discharged. Sergio breaks up play and acts as a barrier in the final third screening the centerbacks of Barcelona, which is a task easier said than done.

It is a widely known fact that Barcelona have high defensive line and thus it is solely up to Busquets to guard the centerbacks on the counter. He excels in reading the game defensively and breaking up plays in the final third. Apart from the defensive duties, it is his distribution of the ball that makes him special, maintaining a pass accuracy of over 90% out of which his killer pass to pick the forwards out, constitute a decent number. Sergio is a very good dribbler for a defensive-midfielder and has a couple of tricks up his sleeve, like the Zidane Roulette or the pullback but is best known for his composure while holding the ball as he receives much of the pressing from the opposition when he receives the ball but his sublime dribbling helps him handle the pressure with ease.

He is a 4 time La Liga winner, 2 time Copa del Rey winner, 4 time Supercopa winner, 2 time UEFA Champions League winner, 2 time UEFA Super Cup winner, 2 time FIFA Club World Cup winner and there isn’t a trophy which hasn’t been held by the no.16 in Barcelona colors. On the International front, he has won the UEFA Euro Championship in 2012 and has had his hands on the ultimate prize of football, the FIFA World Cup. It is his age that makes these achievements even special, winning all the trophies mentioned above at a mere 24 years of age. Yes they are collective achievements won by Barcelona & Spain and everyone from Guardiola to Vicente del Bosque deserve their share of credit, but one cannot deny that all the achievements mentioned above wouldn’t have been possible without the Catalan in the center of the park.

One must feel sorry for the second choice, Alexandre Song who was actually a good buy but the standards set by Sergio are so high that at times the Cameroonian looks like a rookie. Despite all the talent, he hasn’t got the his share of credit owing to his tendency to shy away from limelight and has been clouded by the greatness of Xavi, Iniesta, Messi at Barcelona.

His “Oscar winning skills” that he showcased on a few occasions have accumulated a lot of hatred and have only provoked more people to misprize him but the brilliant mind has proven to be pivotal in the Golden Era of both Spain and Barcelona and will remain one of the first names on the sheets for both club & country.

Enough with the Messis & Ronaldos, let us salute someone who we ought to, as ardent fans of football. Sergio Busquets, you may have dived, you may have gone unnoticed and the ‘Troll Football’ fans may not know your worth but as a true football fan, I salute one of the world’s best or probably the best in your position today.