Spain’s elimination from the hands of Morocco was always going to have serious repercussions, as La Roja were dubbed as one of the favourites to win the FIFA World Cup despite fielding a relatively young setup.
But following the team’s elimination in the Round of 16 stage, Luis Enrique did not take any time in stepping down as the head coach.
Now, it appears Sergio Busquets has announced his retirement from international football as well, in what could be yet another blow for the Spanish national team.
❤️ 𝗨𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝘆𝗮 𝗲𝘀 𝗟𝗘𝗬𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗔.
🫶 @5sergiob se despide de la @SEFutbol tras ganarlo 𝗧𝗢𝗗𝗢.
🏆 Campeón del Mundial de 2010 y de la Eurocopa de 2012.
👕 𝟭𝟰𝟯 veces internacional.
🙏 ¡¡𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗦, 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜!!
🔗 https://t.co/L0JmE4cVBB pic.twitter.com/NJ4T1dcg8k
— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SEFutbol) December 16, 2022
Busquets was one of Spain’s most experienced players going into the World Cup. Despite his age, he was a crucial element in Enrique’s midfield unit, offering composure and leadership in the middle of the park and featuring in all four of the matches.
In the Morocco game, Busquets was accused of not being proactive enough for the opposition press. He also missed a crucial penalty that allowed the North African country to win the shoot-out and seal a place in the quarterfinals.
Busquets, therefore, has called an end to his international career after making a whopping 143 appearances for La Roja. The 34-year-old was part of the Spain setup that lifted the World Cup in 2010. He has featured in 17 World Cup matches in total.
With 143 matches, Busquets will go down as the third-highest all-time appearance-maker for Spain. He is trailing only the two former Real Madrid icons in Iker Casillas (167) and Sergio Ramos (180).
Following the retirement from his international career, the defensive midfielder will look to focus on his club career. However, with his current contract at Camp Nou expiring at the end of the season, it remains to be seen whether Busquets continues to ply his trade with Barcelona next season