Xavi has paid a major compliment to Barcelona’s departing duo Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.
The duo will end their La Blaugrana careers this weekend, after agreeing to leave, with Busquets out of contract, and Alba accepting an early exit.
Busquets has completed 15 seasons in the Barcelona first team, with nine La Liga titles, alongside Alba’s haul of 11 campaigns, and six league crowns.
Xavi is set to dip into the transfer market to source a replacement for Busquets, but rising star Alejandro Balde is already confirmed as Alba’s long term successor.
However, the bold decisions to let both players move on is more than just a simple matter of saving wages, with Xavi also playing alongside the pair, prior to his Barcelona exit in 2015.
“The best pivot and the left back in the history of Barca are leaving”, as per reports from Marca.
“They have helped us win everything. They’re an example to the new generations, as players know they have to follow Busquets and Alba’s examples to succeed.”
Both players are expected to feature in the final league game of 2022/23, at Celta Vigo, bringing Busquets up to 723 club appearances, and Alba to 460.