Last dance for Busquets as Barcelona legend & 2010 World Cup winner prepares to bow out with Spain

• Legendary midfielder has 139 caps
• Has captured continental & global crowns
• Preparing to walk away from La Roja camp

WHAT HAPPENED? The Barcelona midfielder has been a stalwart for La Roja since making his debut in 2009, with 139 caps collected while contributing significantly to a European Championship triumph in 2012 and global glory in 2010. At 34 years of age, Busquets concedes that he is unlikely to grace another major tournament as the time has come to pass a baton on to the next generation.

WHAT THEY SAID: Barca legend Busquets has told Marca when asked if Qatar 2022 will be his last World Cup: “Well, it looks like that. In four years’ time, I’ll be old. But I’m not thinking about that, only about the challenges I have, to help the national team. I think we can be the solid team of championships, very difficult to beat. Hopefully, we can be brilliant to reach our goal. It’s my fourth World Cup, but the excitement is the same as it was in South Africa.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: A modern-day great added when quizzed on potential international retirement: “At the moment I have this season left. I’m not going to make a decision now or when the World Cup is over, but as I told you in the interview we did before the European Championship, it’s getting closer and closer.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

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Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Busquets is only under contract at Camp Nou until the summer of 2023, meaning that he could drop into a free-agent pool at the end of the season if no fresh terms are agreed in Catalunya.