Spain captain and Barcelona superstar Sergio Busquets was hailed by Alan Shearer and Rio Ferdinand after his display in the shootout defeat against Italy at the Euros.
As quoted by the Mirror, former Premier League and England stars Rio Ferdinand and Alan Shearer have showered praises on Spain captain and Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets for his performance against Italy.
Busquets was one of the star performers for Spain, even as they ended up facing a disheartening defeat against the Azzurri in the semi-finals of the UEFA Euro 2020 via penalty shootouts. La Roja had controlled and dominated large parts of the game through the first ninety minutes as well as extra time, with the veteran Busquets playing a key role in that.
Busquets stood out with his range of passing and his ability to evade the press from the opposition, something which Shearer pointed out at the conclusion of the normal time on Tuesday. “They are dominating possession. I mean, Busquets is ridiculously good in midfield.”
“He has a way of controlling the midfield, he has a radar going on around him, who is around him and knowing what pass to play,” the ex-Newcastle United star said.
Ferdinand, meanwhile, also hailed the 32-year-old’s display as he cited one incident that happened when Busquets faced Manchester United in the past, which left the defender in shock.
“We were here at Wembley in the final, and we actually got abused that game by Barcelona, they were brilliant. Your confidence is low anyway, you are trying to get the ball back off him. He turned and said to me ‘Ferdinand, Vidic, boom boom boom’ [referring to the two centre-backs playing long balls all the time], honestly I felt like a conference player,” the ex-England defender said.
Speaking about the midfielder’s display against Italy, Ferdinand added, “He has bossed this game and he’s a fabulous player to watch.”
Despite Busquets’ heroics, Spain eventually came up short in the penalty shootout, as Italy held their nerve to go through to the finals of the UEFA Euro 2020. The Azzurri will now be facing Gareth Southgate’s England, who defeated Denmark 2-1 after extra time in the second semi-final on Wednesday night.
