It is no understatement to call Sergio Busquet’s summer exit from Barcelona the end of an era.
The Spanish midfielder and Blaugrana captain has spent 15 years at the Camp Nou, and his move away from Catalonia marks the final exodus of the stars who featured in Pep Guardiola’s reputation-defining third season in charge of the storied club.
The 2010-11 campaign not only saw Barcelona secure their second Champions League title under the Catalan manager, but built upon their domestic success in the previous season by winning LaLiga.
The side that beat Manchester United in their home European final at Wembley was described by Sir Alex Ferguson as ‘the best team I ever faced’. Over a decade later, and as if to further enshrine its mystique, Guardiola has yet to win another Champions League title, despite leading Bayern Munich and Manchester City to untold domestic glory.
But as Busquets prepares for a guard of honour at the Camp Nou, Mail Sport investigates where the other members of Guardiola’s squad are now, 12 years on from that glorious season.
Sergio Busquets (right) is set to leave the Camp Nou after 15 years spent playing for Barcelona
The midfielder is the final member of Pep Guardiola’s Champions League-winning 2011 side to leave the Catalan club
The now-Manchester City manager has not yet followed up the European success of that night at Wembley with either City or previous club Bayen Munich
Dani Alves
The most decorated player in history with 43 senior titles, Alves sandwiched his two stints at Barcelona with seasons spent at Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paolo. After leaving the Camp Nou in 2022, the defender signed for Mexican outfit UNAM.
But the club terminated his contract in January after Alves was remanded in custody in Barcelona following allegations of sexual assault committed in December 2022.
Alves had his request for bail rejected a second time on May 9 due to the ‘high risk’ that the Brazilian player might leave the country, and he remains in Brians 2 prison in Barcelona.
David Villa
The scorer of the third goal in Barca’s Champions League final, the Spaniard had just two years left in Catalonia before leaving to spend a season at Atletico Madrid in 2013. His time at the Camp Nou was largely cut short by the lengthy recovery time the player had to endure after breaking his leg ahead of the 2011-12 campaign.
In 2014, Villa was the first player signed to newly-created MLS side New York City, where he played until joining Vissel Kobe for a reunion with team-mate Andres Iniesta in 2018.
After retiring in 2020, Villa has reinvented himself as a sporting executive, investing in soon-to-be-launched USL side Queensboro FC and acquiring CF Benidorm under his DV7 Group.
The group owns a string of international football academies as well as operating as a player agency, and Villa is also head of Global Football Operations at Indian Super League side Odisha FC.
Andres Iniesta
One of the greatest midfielders to ever lace up a pair of boots, the World Cup winner looked set to be the definition of a one-club man – after joining La Masia in 2001 and rising through the ranks to don the captain’s armband and make a barely-believable 674 appearances for the side – until an unexpected move presented itself.
In what should have been the twilight of his career, Iniesta moved to Japan with a new lease of life to play for Vissel Kobe, and the decorated player has continued to show off commanding performances, even as he reached his 39th birthday this year.
As his time in the J1 League comes to an end this year, Iniesta is set to play his last match in a Vissel shirt against his former club when Barcelona travel to Japan for a post-season friendly in early June.
Andres Iniesta is the captain of Vissel Kobe but at the end of the season, the 39-year-old will look for a starting spot elsewhere
Iniesta was later joined in Japan by his Barcelona team-mate David Villa (pictured in 2020)
Adriano
Brought in that season, the Brazilian spent most of the season playing understudy to Eric Abidal, and was only able to step up when the Frenchman was forced onto the sidelines due to illness.
His second season at the club was similarly light on playing time, and only from the 2012-13 season onwards did he establish his footing at the Camp Nou.
Adriano spent the next four years at the club before leaving for Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas in 2016. Stints at Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense and Belgian side Eupen followed before the defender called time on his playing career in September 2021 after leaving the club as a free agent.
Lionel Messi
Few need reminding of the latest exploits of one of the greatest players to don the Blaugrana. After his tearful exit from the Camp Nou in 2021, the World Cup winner has been plying his trade in the French capital after a largely-unsuccessful move to Paris Saint-Germain.
Most recently frozen out of training after an unapproved trip to Saudi Arabia to fulfil his ambassadorial duties, there’s very little chance that the No 10’s contract will be extended.
An eye-poppingly lucrative spell in the Saudi Pro League beckons. But could Messi fulfil the wildest dreams of both fans and the club’s hierarchy alike and give the green light to a miracle move back to Catalonia?
That fairytale ending feels further and further away – in part due to the club’s dire financial straits – but Barcelona would likely move mountains to secure the services of their diminutive superstar.
Lionel Messi’s career is synonymous with successes at Barca, with fans hopeful he will return
The player’s contract at Paris Saint-Germain is set to expire with neither party keen to extend
Source: dailymail.co.uk
