Barcelona captain and Spain international Sergio Busquets reached a milestone in his Barcelona career becoming the most capped Barcelona player in the El-Clasico.
Following his appearance in Barcelona’s 0-1 win over Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey semifinal first-leg clash at Santiago Bernabeu, Busquets becomes the most capped Barcelona player in El-Clasicos.
Starting for the Blaugrana, the Spain international hit a landmark record in his Barcelona career, making a 46th El-Clásico appearance for the club.
In the history of the club, no player has won 46 caps for Barcelona in El-Clasicos and as it stands it will be somewhat difficult to match Sergio Busquets’ feat.
Prior to the Real Madrid Vs Barcelona Copa Del Rey semifinal first-leg, Sergio Busquets was at par with Barcelona legend Lionel Messi with 45 El-Clasico appearances – the highest number of appearances by a Barcelona player.
Another Spaniard but a Real Madrid star Sergio Ramos also had 45 El-Clasico appearances before leaving Santiago Bernabeu.
Interestingly, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos are teammates at PSG with an equal number of El-Clasico appearances.
Their exit from Spanish League paved the way for Sergio Busquets to emerge as the most capped Barcelona and Spanish player in the El-Clasico.
Sergio Busquets first made his El-Clasico debut in 2008 after joining Barcelona’s first team the same year.
Under the tutelage of the now Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, the Spaniard joined the likes of Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o in the team, seeing off Real Madrid with a deserved 2-0 victory.
Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto’o killed the game for the Catalans, brushing aside Real Madrid to emerge victorious after full-time.
That year, Pep Guardiola led Barcelona to a historic treble, winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Copa Del Rey.
Sergio Busquets came on as a substitute in the game and won a penalty for the team. Sadly, Eto’o missed the penalty but went ahead to make amends by registering his name on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win.
Sergio Busquets’ record in the El-Clasico
Out of his 46 appearances in the game, Busquets has come on as a substitute twice and has started 44 times. He has not recorded a goal in an El-Clasico but has bagged 22 wins, 26 defeats, and 8 draws.
After the 2023 Copa Del Rey semifinal away win, Sergio Busquets has now eclipsed Real Madrid legend Paco Gento as the only player with the most El Clasico wins (Paco Gento has 21 wins).
Busquets is set to extend his record El-Clasico appearance when Barcelona hosts Real Madrid in their second league meeting on March 19 before the Copa Del Rey semifinal second-leg on April 5.
This season, Busquets has made 26 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions with only one assist and no goal.
Since making his senior debut for Barcelona in 2008, Sergio Busquets has not joined any other club.
He has made a total of 475 appearances in his 15 years stint with the Catalans, scoring 11 goals.
