A farewell ceremony has been held for two Barcelona legends, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
Barcelona defeated Mallorca 3-0 in the 37th round of the 2022-23 Spanish La Liga at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, at 2:00 a.m. ET on Monday.
Busquets and Alba played their final home games. Busquets is a Barcelona legend, having won 32 trophies in 722 La Masia appearances,토토사이트 including nine La Liga titles and three UEFA Champions League titles. He, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi Hernandez formed the so-called “Three Stooges,” a devastating midfield that shaped the history of the game.
Alba also came through the youth ranks, returning to Barcelona from Valencia in 2012. For 11 years, he anchored the left side of the defense, winning 18 titles, including six La Liga, five Copa del Rey, and one UCL. This season, he has lost his starting spot to Alejandro Valdez, but has played 30 games between the two.
In this game, both players started. Xavi made sure to honor his former teammate and club legend, who is leaving Camp Nou at the end of the season, by substituting Alba and Busquets in the second half to a rousing ovation from the home fans.
After the game, a farewell ceremony was held. Barcelona organized a silver shield, celebratory performances, fireworks, and more. The players greeted the two players with a guard of honor and a hengarero, and the fans also said goodbye to the legends by making card sections in Barcelona’s colors and singing the team’s chants. Alba was visibly moved to tears during the ceremony.
Busquets said: “Since I was a kid, I dreamed of playing here one day. No one can take away the pride that (Barcelona) is the best club in the world. I am a member and a fan of Barcelona. The dream has come true, the title has been won, and this team will remain in my heart forever. I am leaving, but this is not goodbye, we will see each other again soon,” he said in an emotional speech.
Alba concluded his speech by saying: “I was proud to wear the Barcelona shirt. Today was the happiest day of my life. Thank you to my teammates. This year I was less in the spotlight, but I tried to help everyone and I’m very proud of them,” he said in an emotional speech.
He also paid tribute to Busquets, who is leaving with him. “Busquets, you’ve been an example. I learned a lot from you. You are a phenomenon,” he said.
Xavi also praised Busquets and Alba’s legacy at Barcelona, saying, “From now on, every holding midfielder coming up from La Masia will be like Busquets, and every left-back at the club will learn to be like Alba.”