Pep Guardiola was at Barcelona between 2008 and 2012 and the team experienced a dream period. Words like “treble” and “sextuple” were part of the club’s vocabulary. But now, with the departure of Sergio Busquets, the Pep Team is no more. There are no survivors left from those golden seasons at the Camp Nou.
An era is coming to an end… although there is still the possibility that Lionel Messi will return.
Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Villa, Alves, Messi, Valdes, Mascherano, Pedro, Abidal… the list of players is very long, but little by little they all left the Catalan club between 2014 and 2023. Most of them have already retired, others have moved to the bench or to the technical department and some, the minority, are still active, but only the Busquets still played for the Catalan club.
For example, Leo Messi is at PSG, Pedro at Lazio and Iniesta at Vissel Kobe. However, the man from La Mancha, after six years in Japan, will put an end to his career this summer. Others, such as Xavi, have turned their careers to the bench, a role in which Víctor Valdes also tried his luck, but in a more modest way, and Mascherano, in Argentina’s youth teams. Abidal was sporting director of Barcelona until 2021.
Puyol is also still linked to football, although as an agent and also as an ambassador for LaLiga Santander. Gerard Pique, owner of F.C. Andorra, decided on a new business project after his retirement, in addition to the many he already had when he was a player, and created the Kings League.
Guardiola ‘launched’ Busquets
It was during Pep Guardiola‘s years at the helm of the Barcelona first team that Busquets established himself as an elite midfielder. Since Gerard Pique decided to hang up his boots last December, the midfielder was the last survivor of the Pep Team.
Therefore, the Catalan’s farewell goes beyond the departure of a legend. It is the end of an era. One of Barcelona‘s best. 11 years have passed since Pep Guardiola left the Camp Nou and this June there will be no remnants of the glory years left… other than in the trophy room