Sergio Busquets was at his understated best last week when asked about Rafael van der Vaart calling the Spain team ‘horrible’ and ‘only capable of playing sideways’.
The former Dutch international then took credit when Spain won their last game 5-0, claiming his comments had motivated them.
‘Yes, we’re really grateful to him,’ Busquets quipped. ‘We should send him a Jamon (leg of Spanish ham).’ Others had been upset by Van der Vaart’s comments. But trust Busquets to go for a more restrained and refined response.
Sergio Busquets remains a key man for Spain more than a decade on from his World Cup win
The midfielder will captain his nation into the round of 16, facing Croatia on Monday night
It’s 11 years since he won the World Cup. Tonight’s game against Croatia will be his 125th for Spain at his final Euros.
Andres Iniesta, who got the winner in that World Cup final in 2010, told Sportsmail he’s not surprised the 32-year-old has emerged as the national team’s leader.
Asked to define Busquets in one word, Iniesta used seven: ‘Intelligent, necessary, indispensable for any team, special. He has taken the leadership role as something very natural but that is how he has always been.
‘He sees his role as being at the team’s service. He doesn’t need the armband to lead. He’s a humble guy there to help the others.’
At the height of Spain’s powers, Busquets never needed to lead but now it’s his turn.
Busquets was star of the match against Slovakia as Spain stormed to a 5-0 victory last week
‘It’s that moment when you have to take a step forward,’ said Iniesta. ‘Behind closed doors, he has always been very implicated in everything that happened within the squad.
‘His generosity and humility are valuable traits in any captain. Now it’s his turn to help those young players who are discovering what it means to represent their country in a tournament.’
He nearly didn’t make it, having tested positive for Covid before the competition began.
Busquets told Spanish radio station Cadena Ser: ‘I had a bad time of it. There have been players who had to wait more than 20 days for a negative result. I wanted so much to be involved in my last Euros.
‘The journey in the ambulance back home to self-isolate was difficult. You’re thinking about how you might have caught it and you just pray you haven’t passed it to team-mates.’
He was sent home with a GPS vest and a training schedule drawn up by fitness coach Rafel Pol. He stuck to it so diligently, according to the data from the vest, that he could have returned for the second game against Poland after testing negative but Luis Enrique chose to save him for Spain’s final group match.
Busquets has never been the kind of player to stand-out on the pitch but remains a key engine
He was named man of the match after the 5-0 win over Slovakia, having run 8.3km in his 71 minutes. ‘I’ve deserved it more on other occasions and not been given it,’ he said. ‘Maybe I got the award as I had just come back.’
Spain now need to get past Croatia in today’s last 16 tie to set up a possible quarter-final meeting with world champions France in St Petersburg.
Busquets has already been pinpointed as the player Croatia must stop. ‘All their moves start with him,’ said Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic. ‘We need to make sure he is not comfortable when he receives the ball.’
One thing Van der Vaart may have got right when he savaged Spain on Dutch television is that they were too sideways in their first two games. When flanked by Iniesta and Xavi, Busquets’ role for Spain was largely defensive but gradually he has become the man who plays killer passes.
At Barcelona, Lionel Messi is often the recipient. Busquets texted him on his 34th birthday last week and has said he’s convinced he will sign a new deal at Barca. But how much longer will Busquets himself go on for?
The midfielder will hope to drive his side further in the tournament after a rocky group stage
‘You reach a stage as a player where you have to not think too far ahead,’ he said recently when asked about playing in the next World Cup. ‘Let see how things go. There is a lot to happen before then. I just want to enjoy this tournament.’
He’ll go into management after playing. ‘It’s not easy to do it,’ he said. ‘You have to be able to transmit your ideas to the players, but I want to try.’
He will have the goodwill of Spain behind him. ‘Busi is a special person,’ Iniesta added. ‘That’s why we all love him.’
Meanwhile, Croatia have suffered a blow as Ivan Perisic was ruled out of the Spain clash after testing positive for Covid. The Inter winger will spend 10 days in isolation and will also miss Friday’s quarter-final should Croatia progress.