Sergio Busquets is one of the most underrated players in world football. Despite having played a key role in bringing 22 collective trophies to his teams, including three Champions Leagues for Barcelona and the World and European Cups for Spain, there is still an inexplicable number of fans out there who just consider him a slightly above-average footballer -- a player who just happens to be in the right place at the right time.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Although many suspected that Busquets' reputation may never fully recover from the controversial peekaboo, which resulted in Thiago Motta being sent off in the 2010 Champions League semifinals, his consistently outstanding performances since then are slowly but surely helping him silence his numerous critics.
Busquets has made an average of 47 club appearances per season since he was promoted into the first team by Pep Guardiola back in the summer of 2008. If the 27-year-old became an indispensable player for not only the current Bayern Munich supremo, but also prestigious managers such as Vicente del Bosque, Luis Enrique and Tito Vilanova, it is certainly thanks to his vision, technique, tenacity and leadership.
The son of Johan Cruyff's former goalkeeper Carles Busquets definitely followed an unusual route to professional football. While many would perhaps assume that young Sergio used his father's influence to secure a place in Barca's youth system, the truth is that carrying the Busquets surname did not actually support his cause in any way.
In fact, Barca's current midfield leader was released from the Blaugrana youth system at just eight years of age, believe it or not. Despite suffering a potentially career-ending blow at such an early age, young Busquets remained determined to reach his dream of becoming a professional by continuing his trade at low-profile Catalan clubs Barbera, Lleida and Jabac.
In what is definitely the exception rather than the norm, Busquets was offered a rare opportunity to return to the Barcelona ranks shortly after his 17th birthday, nearly a decade after being released -- which, unsurprisingly, the life-long Cule accepted without hesitation.
Even though Barca's scouts had already identified the teenager's vast improvement in terms of positioning and passing, it was his ability to facilitate his team's transitions from attack into defence and vice versa that made him stand out from the rest of players in his age bracket.
After a couple of excellent seasons at the Catalans' Juvenil A (Under-19s), Guardiola trusted the Badia-born midfielder to become a key member in the team which achieved promotion from Tercera into Segunda Division B in 2007.
The rest, as they say, is now history.
Now in his eighth season at the Camp Nou, the newly-appointed Barca's third captain has such an in-depth understanding of the team's formation and mechanisms that his mere presence enables those more incisive players around him the freedom to push forward knowing that their backs would be efficiently covered if they were to lose possession. Given the Catalans' trademark attacking ethos, having a selfless leader who is genuinely prepared to sacrifice his brilliance in favour of others has now become indispensable.
Busquets' teammates are fully aware that as long as they can exploit a space to run into, there is a huge chance that the Barca's new No. 5 will find them with either an inch-perfect long-range pass or after a sequence of quick, successive combinations. The certainty of knowing service will be provided whenever a gap opens within the rivals' back line is one of the key reasons why the Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar trident is virtually unstoppable.
With a career passing success rate of 92%, there is no question that we are in front of a player who sits firmly among the game's best playmakers. His ability to dictate the pace by distributing high-quality passes across the park is second to none in world football. Perhaps more impressively, his exquisite technique allows him to make the process of picking the best option appear effortless.
Due to his incredibly strict training, eating and rest routines, the Catalan holding midfielder has not suffered any long-term injuries at any point in his career. Although it can be argued that the influence of luck simply can't be overlooked, it also comes down to the professional approach to not only sport, but life in general from the World Cup winner -- Carles Puyol insisted on leaving his legendary No.5 with him for reason.
Never afraid to tackle, Busquets is no stranger to refereeing controversy, with many bitter rivals arguing that the 27-year-old regularly exaggerates contact in order to give his team an unfair advantage. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Busquets is already the most fouled player in Barcelona this season. Is it also a way of relieving pressure from his forwards and narrowing the gaps between lines? Absolutely, but caused by his speed when recovering loose balls or protecting possession, not simulation.
Far more confident on the pitch in front of the eyes of millions than behind the microphone or talking to the camera, Busquets is more than happy to see others such as Messi or Neymar occupying the front pages of thousands of media outlets around the world. However, he has now become an indispensable starter who is now an experienced role model for others.
If there is a player who can ensure the legacy of playmakers Xavi and Andres Iniesta can continue once both legendary La Masia stars leave the Camp Nou, look no further: Busquets holds the key for Barcelona's long-term success, the power to ensure the traditional model continues to evolve but remains faithful to the original idea.
The Quote: "Positionally, he seems like a veteran with or without the ball. With the ball he makes what is difficult look easy: he disposes of the ball with one or two touches. Without the ball, he gives us a lesson: that of being in the right place to intercept and running just to recover the ball." -- Johan Cruyff, speaking back in 2009.