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Updated September 13th, 2021 at 19:47 IST

Barcelona can win Champions League without Lionel Messi: Sergio Busquets

During his stint, Messi shouldered Barcelona to as many as four UEFA Champions League titles, the last of which came in the 2014-15 season.

Reported by: Azhar Mohamed
Lionel Messi
Image: AP | Image:self
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Spanish footballer Sergio Busquets reckoned that Barcelona has the required potential to win the Champions League even in the absence of the club's former legendary forward, Lionel Messi. Back in August, the 34-year-old Messi decided to bid adieu to the club for whom he plied his trade for two decades after arriving at Barcelona at the age of 13.

During his stint, Messi shouldered Barcelona to as many as four UEFA Champions League titles, the last of which came in the 2014-15 season. The 33-year-old Busquets said that Messi’s departure was a shock, but emphasized focusing on challenges without the Argentinian legend in their ranks. 

"It was a shock, for everything that Leo gave to Barca and personally to me. It was an accumulation of emotions that were difficult to digest, but we have to try to change the story. We are at the beginning of the season and we'll have to get used to playing without Leo," Busquets was quoted as saying to the reporters as per Goal.

We are here, excited and aware of the difficulty, says Sergio Busquets

"Anything can happen in football. Chelsea won the Champions League last season and were not favourites. The important thing is the collective level and we know that we do not have Leo or his individual qualities. We are here, excited and aware of the difficulty, but we have a lot of ambition and we want to win," Busquets added.

On the ones who can fill Messi’s shoes, Busquets lauded Netherlands’ footballer Memphis Depay for making a decent start. Busquets has pinned hopes on the Dutch player to deliver the goods in the tournament. Earlier, Depay expressed his disappointment for not being able to say “hello” to Messi but sounded focused on doing well for the renowned club.

As far as Messi is concerned, he left the club, citing “financial and structural obstacles” and slammed the “Spanish league regulations” regarding player registrations. He has now joined Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year contract.

Messi was the leading goal-scorer in the eight seasons of La Liga. He also became the top scorer six times in the UEFA Champions League on six occasions. Messi also won the coveted Ballon d’Or as many as six times in his illustrious career.

Image: AP

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Published September 13th, 2021 at 19:47 IST

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