A total of 1,795 games and 81 titles. This is what Sergio Busquets, Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba have added as Barça players. Pure history of the best period of the club, the three have decided during this season that their long stage at the Camp Nou had come to an end. Of the four captains who began commanding the locker room last August, only Sergi Roberto will remain on the ship, which he renewed in March until June 2024.
Quite a changing of the guard led by the passage of time, but also by the economic situation of Barcelona and by the firm and clear decisions of Xavi Hernández. The fact that they were his companions for a long time has not made him tremble in this regard.
Because of the three, the only one who leaves without losing ownership is Sergio Busquets, whom Xavi tried to convince to continue. But the one from Badia, with a very low offer from Barça, decided to pack his bags.
Instead, both Piqué and Jordi Alba had found their bones on the bench. The central defender, who was warned by the coach that his role would be very secondary, did not want to accumulate substitutions and left both Barça and football last November.
Jordi Alba seemed to be doing a little better, although Marcos Alonso was signed in the summer. At last he had competition with face and eyes after seasons of authoritatively dominating the left lane. But he did not count on the emergence of Alejandro Balde, who broke down the door and sent him to the substitution regularly.
It escapes no one that they were in the middle of the fall of their careers. But also that the particular circumstances that Barça is experiencing were inviting them to reflect on their future. In October, in the assembly of delegates, President Laporta put them at the feet of the horses. “We have tried to lower the salaries of some players, but we have not succeeded. The managers have guaranteed ten million euros with our personal assets. If it had been done, we would not have had to endorse it,” said the leader.
Be that as it may, the air is going to be renewed on the control bridge of the Blaugrana dressing room. With the departure of Busquets and Jordi Alba, Sergi Roberto and Ter Stegen remain as bearers of the bracelet. Two more must be added. If the team prefers to abide by the unwritten law of antiquity, the turn would have come for Dembélé and De Jong. Another thing is if you opt for the voting route. Here other parameters would come into play, such as ancestry within the group. Araújo and Lewandowski have it. It would be different if in the end Barcelona recovers Leo Messi, captain since Iniesta left in 2018 and until he went to PSG. An era ends. Start a new one.
