It has nothing to do with the fact that Gerard Piqué's second surname is Bernabeu. It is a mere coincidence that the center-back, who is not going through his best moment and who could play his 21st game this coming Sunday at the Real Madrid stadium, is the player with the best statistics in the current Barça squad in the field of his maximum rival. The history of the Catalan player, as well as that of Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto in the white fiefdom is idyllic. Few times the statistics of the Barça captains will be so brilliant, they are all above 50% in victories, like that of this generation, clearly marked by the presence of Leo Messi.
All of them face one of their last opportunities to play in the most hostile field they have stepped on in their careers. Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto end their contract and Piqué and Alba, despite having one more year, could leave at the end of the season. In addition, after the debacle against Inter, they have been very marked. This Sunday's, therefore, will be a very special game for all of them.
Piqué and Busquets' love story at the Bernabeu began in the 2008/09 season. Surely that match is the most remembered by Barça fans. The team coached by Pep Guardiola won 2-6 and left that championship seen to be sentenced. Piqué even scored the sixth and celebrating him is part of the collective imagination of any culé.
Since then, Piqué and Busquets have played 20 games there and their numbers are hard to match. Both have achieved 12 wins in all competitions and it is Piqué who has lost the fewest times, with only five defeats. On three occasions he lived a tie. Busquets had to regret six defeats and experienced two draws in those 20 games.
The story is somewhat different for Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto, who joined the Barça first team some years later. The left-back has played 13 games, of which he has won 7, also more than 50% like his other two teammates, he lost five times and tied only once. The numbers on the right back indicate that he played 9 games with six wins and three losses, also exceeding 50% wins.
Many victories remain to be remembered, such as in the semifinal of the Champions League in 2011 (0-2), in which Alba and Sergi Roberto were not yet, the 3-4 in 2014 with Tata Martino on the bench (Sergi Roberto was not he got to play that game), 0-4 in 2016, 2-3 in 2017 in which everyone did participate and the two full-backs were key in Leo Messi's winning goal in the 92nd minute. Also the most recent , the 0-4 achieved last season. Outstanding numbers for a generation of players, and captains, unrepeatable.
