"He could just be walking around and dictate games" – Cesc Fabregas salutes 'physically inferior' ex-Barcelona teammate who never felt pressure

Ex-Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas has heaped praise on ex-Barcelona teammate Sergio Busquets for arguably being the best in the world at controlling the tempo of a match.

During a recent conversation with Manchester United great Rio Ferdinand on Vibe with Five, Fabregas was asked whether Busquets was one of the best midfielders in the world. He responded:

"Yes, he was [on another level]. You don't find too many players now who can dictate games by playing one-touch or being physically inferior. They don't anticipate the game, they are not reading the game. They don't look around 20 times before the ball comes. They don't understand that the player will be making this run and at this time."

Hailing Busquets as one of the best holding midfielders, he concluded:

"He could just be walking around and dictate games. He didn't feel the pressure. You could press him as hard as possible and he would do the unexpected things. Sometimes he will feint, he will have these turns, play one-twos. If you let him play, he will find these passes between the lines to break lines. For me, he is one of the greatest players in that position."

Busquets, who is currently plying his trade with Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba at Inter Miami, was an indispensable part of Barcelona's starting XI for over a decade. The 35-year-old made 722 appearances across all competitions for them, recording 18 goals and 46 assists.

Fabregas, who is Italian outfit Como's assistant manager, played with Busquets for three seasons at Barcelona between 2011 and 2014. He shared the pitch with the defensive midfielder 119 times at club level.

Cesc Fabregas opines on Barcelona youth stars' struggles after moving to other clubs

During his chat with Rio Ferdinand, Cesc Fabregas was asked to shed light on the experience of learning the sport at the famous La Masia academy. He replied:

"This [La Masia focusing too much on systems and tactics] could be a positive thing or sometimes even negative. If you don't make it to Barcelona's first team and then you go to a different club, you may face problems."

Although Barcelona's academy has produced players like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, a number of other graduates have failed to meet expectations. The likes of Bojan Krkic and Giovani dos Santos struggled to shine at other teams after leaving the Catalan giants.

As of now, Lamine Yamal is deemed to be the next big thing out of La Masia. The 16-year-old relished a breakout season, bagging seven goals and contributing 10 assists in 50 games in the 2023-24 term.