Barça sign the new Sergio Busquets for €0: younger and better than Marc Casadó

Talking about Sergio Busquets means talking about a Barça legend: 15 seasons at Barça performing at the highest level. The captain said goodbye with 719 official matches under his belt, of which he won more than 500 games, totaling 31 titles. It was a glorious era that led Barça to become the example of the global soccer elite.

The 2007-08 season had Pep Guardiola as the coach of the reserve team, and the presence of the Santpedor coach in the first team would end up being essential for Sergio Busquets's career. That season, they were crowned champions of Tercera División, achieving promotion to Segunda B. Everything changed the following season when Guardiola took charge of the first team.

Guardiola drafted Busquets, and he would soon make his debut in Primera; on September 13, 2008, he gave him his first start against Racing de Santander. It didn't take him long from that date to secure a starting spot, although he kept a reserve team registration for a while. Sergio Busquets marked a historic era of sporting greatness at Barça, surely the greatest experienced so far.

The substitute for Sergio Busquets

Since his move to Inter Miami, Barça have been left without a defensive midfielder of Sabadell native's caliber. During recent seasons, Frenkie de Jong has been in charge of that role with more shadows than lights, despite his undeniable quality. That's why Hansi Flick trusted Marc Casadó, who hadn't been considered by Xavi Hernández, showing all his potential.

The La Masia product began to appear in the German coach's line-ups, performing at a very high level and showing his good work on the field. He quickly established himself as an undisputed starter, and the team's level improved exponentially. However, looking ahead to the new season, both Casadó and De Jong are expected to be substitutes since Barça have found the new Busquets in Marc Bernal.

The return of Marc Bernal

The player from Berga, who will soon mark a year since his serious injury, is recovering perfectly and is entering the final stretch of his recovery. His ordeal is about to end; it was a hard blow when he was playing his best and Flick had just given him a starting spot. He touched the sky and fell abruptly from it in the blink of an eye; soccer showed him its harshest side.

Beyond recovering from the injury, Bernal has surprised everyone with his constant physical work, which has helped him gain muscle mass. He has gained muscle in his arms and legs, Bernal hasn't wasted any time during all these months he has been sidelined. His return to the team will be gradual, as happened with Gavi; what is already certain is that Marc Bernal will come back stronger.