In yesterday’s Copa del Rey match against Real Madrid, Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets broke the El Clasico records previously held by Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos (March 2).
He played in the first leg of Barca’s 1-0 semi-final victory at the Santiago Bernabeu, his 46th El Clasico appearance (h/t GOAL). With 45 games each, Lionel Messi and Ramos are unlikely to make any more appearances in La Liga, barring any unexpected comebacks.
In 2021, the legend of Argentina departed for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) on a free transfer. Ramos followed him to Paris that very summer after his Real Madrid contract expired.
Busquets also has the best El Clasico record of the three, having participated in 22 victories and eight draws. When playing for Barcelona, Lionel Messi defeated Real Madrid 19 times while drawing 11 matches.
During his tenure with the Catalan giants, he also had a more-than-respectable total of 26 goals and 14 assists against Los Blancos. Ramos, on the other hand, lost 22 El Clasicos while winning 15 of them.
After an own goal by Eder Militao gave the visitors a critical first-leg victory in the 28th minute, Busquets’ most recent encounter with Los Merengues was successful. He might participate in two more El Clasicos this year, as Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off in La Liga on March 19.
On April 5, when the two teams face off in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final at El Camp Nou, he might make his final appearance in the derby. After the conclusion of the current campaign, Busquets’ contract is expected to lapse.
Against Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez’s wishes, the 34-year-old has not signed new contracts with the club.
