Barça sheds its skin. In a single season, 75% of its captains have decided to leave the club. First Piqué, when he lost ownership, and now Busquets and Jordi Alba. The pivot leaves being an indisputable fixture. The winger leaves after having warmed up the bench for a good part of the campaign but without having become a problem in the dressing room. Alba’s last great service was not the key goal against Osasuna but rather having behaved like a good teammate when witnessing the emergence of Balde. Bridging the gap, it has been like when Lionel Messi emerged and Ludovic Giuly realized that the future was passing him like a steamroller.
If Barcelona’s motto when winning the championship has been “La Liga is ours and the future too”, that future involves rejuvenating the heavyweights. It is the law of life. Xavi and Iniesta left at the time. During the last months Piqué, Busquets and Alba have done it. The midfielder and the defender will be able to say goodbye to the Camp Nou this Sunday, on the last day of the Barcelona stadium until the new one is inaugurated. They will have a goodbye with honors. With the League in the bag and with the applause of the respectable. They deserve it after years of service to the cause. They will enjoy the goodbye that Messi could not have.
Xavi’s Barça walks forward. Now Sergi Roberto remains, the only one of the veterans who has renewed, as captain, with Ter Stegen as second when it comes to wearing the armband, the last two footballers to be teammates of the player Xavi Hernández. They will have to acquire more stripes footballers of the character of Araújo or of the trajectory of Frenkie de Jong, who went from being reviled to essential.
Piqué’s departure allowed Barça to save money and Alba still had one season left on his contract, with a high salary. The sacred cows are already becoming history. It is time for others to take over. Barcelona will change stadiums and strong men. Who would have thought it last September.
