BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Sergio Busquets was a maestro in midfield, the one who recovered the ball, started attacks and delivered that key pass for superstar teammates like Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta to turn into goals in Barcelona’s heyday.
The 37-year-old Spanish world champion will soon end his hugely successful career, retiring from soccer at the end of his current season with Inter Miami, the Major League Soccer team said Thursday.
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FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronald, bottom, tries to get the ball from Spain's Xavi Hernandez, left, Spain's Sergio Busquets, right, and Spain's Andres Iniesta, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronald, bottom, tries to get the ball from Spain's Xavi Hernandez, left, Spain's Sergio Busquets, right, and Spain's Andres Iniesta, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
FILE - Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, left, is congratulated by teammates Sergio Busquets, center, and Xavi Hernandez after scoring against Racing de Santander during their Spanish La Liga soccer match at El Sardinero stadium in Santander, northern Spain Sunday Aug. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
FILE - FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, right, celebrates scoring against Atlante FC with teammates Xavi, left, and Sergio Busquets during their semifinal soccer match of the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets (5) defends against Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani (28) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
Busquets is widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation, forming a storied three-man midfield at Barcelona with Iniesta and Xavi Hernández behind Messi.
Busquets debuted for Barcelona in 2008 under Pep Guardiola and went on to play 722 matches for the club — putting him third all-time behind Xavi and Messi – while winning nine Spanish league titles and the Champions League three times.
He wasn’t fast or ripped with muscles. He rarely scored. But his lanky frame belied a tenacious tackler and an expert passer, making him the ideal anchorman for the best teams both Barcelona and Spain have ever had.
Barcelona called him “a cornerstone of the finest Barça side of all time.”
He played 143 games for Spain, winning the World Cup in 2010 and the European Championship in 2012. He was Spain's captain upon retiring from international competition in 2022.
In 2023, Busquets joined Inter Miami where he was reunited with Messi and other former Barcelona teammates Luis Suárez and Jordi Alba. The team said Busquets has had an “extraordinary career” and is “one of the greatest midfielders in football history.”
Former teammates — and rivals — praised him on social media.
“What a privilege it was to play with you all those years, brother,” Iniesta wrote on Instagram. “Your way of playing was one of a kind, and we will never forget it.”
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, Busquets’s club rival and his teammate with Spain, recalled their time shared on the field as well as Busquets' “modest and authentic character."
“(You were) a rival most of the time, other times my teammate, (but) you always stood out thanks to your class, vision, and talent,” Ramos wrote on X.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Portugal's Cristiano Ronald, bottom, tries to get the ball from Spain's Xavi Hernandez, left, Spain's Sergio Busquets, right, and Spain's Andres Iniesta, during the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Tuesday, June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Armando Franca, File)
FILE - Barcelona's Andres Iniesta, left, is congratulated by teammates Sergio Busquets, center, and Xavi Hernandez after scoring against Racing de Santander during their Spanish La Liga soccer match at El Sardinero stadium in Santander, northern Spain Sunday Aug. 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos, File)
FILE - FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, right, celebrates scoring against Atlante FC with teammates Xavi, left, and Sergio Busquets during their semifinal soccer match of the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)
Inter Miami midfielder Sergio Busquets (5) defends against Charlotte FC midfielder Djibril Diani (28) during the first half of an MLS soccer match, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 11, 2026--
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260511887775/en/
Porter provides comprehensive flight schedules from both Toronto airports, emphasizing its continued investment in Canada’s largest city.
Toronto-City - Nashville is operated on the De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft, with daily service beginning today. The new route connects Billy Bishop - located just minutes from downtown Toronto - with one of North America’s most popular getaway destinations. Since launching U.S. flights from YTZ in 2008, Porter has been committed to providing elevated economy service between Toronto and key American cities. The new U.S. Customs Preclearance facility at Billy Bishop offers even greater convenience to passengers. Porter continues to build frequency and connectivity from the city’s downtown airport, providing more options for travellers than any other airline.
Service between Toronto Pearson and Quebec City will be operated by the brand new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft, with 12 weekly roundtrip flights beginning May 12. The new route complements existing Toronto-City service. Connections are available through Toronto Pearson to Western Canada destinations such as Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Kelowna. Additionally, these flights are optimally timed for our partner Air Transat’s extensive European network accessible via YQB, including destinations such as Lisbon, Rome, Venice, Paris, and Amsterdam.
Porter’s presence at Toronto Pearson continues to grow, connecting to more than 30 routes across North America, Mexico, the Caribbean and Costa Rica.
On every Porter flight, passengers can expect genuine hospitality and an elevated level of onboard service, including no middle seats, complimentary wine and beer served in glassware, and premium snacks. Routes operated with the E195-E2 also have free, fast WiFi available for everyone.
PorterReserve fares offer passengers an all-inclusive economy experience, with fresh meals, extra legroom seats, premium pre-mixed cocktails, priority check-in, and ticketing flexibility. These options are available à la carte with PorterClassic fares.
Full schedule details are available at www.flyporter.com.
Quotes
“Porter continues to build connectivity from Toronto’s two complementary airports, providing even more options for travellers to explore this summer. Nashville and Quebec City are both popular destinations, rich in culture and history. Passengers can now connect easily to Porter’s expanding Eastern Canada network from Billy Bishop and across North America from Toronto Pearson.”
- Andrew Pierce, vice president, network planning and reporting, Porter Airlines
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville marks a significant milestone in the continued expansion of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport’s transborder network. This route improves both choice and convenience for travellers, while strengthening Toronto’s direct links to some of North America’s most in demand destinations. With the introduction of U.S. Preclearance and Porter’s ongoing investment in service from downtown Toronto, this launch underscores strong confidence in Billy Bishop Airport’s role as a passenger-focused urban airport. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Porter as we support greater connectivity, drive economic benefits, and deliver seamless travel experiences for the city and region we serve.”
- RJ Steenstra, president & CEO, Toronto Port Authority, owner and operator of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
“Porter’s new nonstop service to Nashville is a great example of how Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and partners continue to evolve in ways that put the passenger first. With U.S. preclearance now in place, travellers can enjoy more choice and a smoother, more seamless experience when flying to the U.S. from downtown Toronto. This route reflects the strength of our partnership with Porter and the Toronto Port Authority, and our shared focus on delivering the kind of convenient, elevated travel experience passengers expect and value.”
- Eve Wiggins, chief operating officer, Nieuport Aviation
“Porter Airlines’ first departure from Nashville International Airport (BNA) marks an important addition to our growing international offerings. As demand for global travel continues to rise in Middle Tennessee, expanding our partnerships is essential to providing travelers with more destinations and greater convenience. Nonstop service to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) offers a direct connection into downtown Toronto, giving our passengers another valuable option for international travel. We’re proud to welcome Porter as our newest airline partner and to celebrate the launch of a service that further enhances BNA’s global reach.”
- Doug Kreulen, president and CEO, Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA)
“We welcome Porter’s continued expansion of service to destinations across the country. Quebec City is a vibrant and important market for both business and leisure travel, and this new route gives passengers more choice, greater convenience, and easier access to the destinations they want to reach across Canada at a time when demand for domestic travel continues to grow.”
- Carl Jones, head of business aviation development, Toronto Pearson
“We are pleased to see the return of the route between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, operated by Porter Airlines. These 12 flights to the Canadian metropolis are fully in line with our objective of offering more options to travellers from the region and across Québec. They also help to strengthen connectivity to popular destinations in Western Canada.”
- Stéphane Poirier, president and CEO, YQB
About Porter
Since 2006, Porter Airlines has been elevating the experience of economy air travel for every passenger, providing genuine hospitality with style, care and charm. Porter’s fleet of Embraer E195-E2 and De Havilland Dash 8-400 aircraft serves North America, including a coast-to-coast domestic Canadian network, the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. Headquartered in Toronto, Porter is an Official 4 Star Airline® in the World Airline Star Rating®. Visit www.flyporter.com or follow @porterairlines on Instagram, Facebook and X.
Porter Airlines continues to grow its Toronto network with new service between Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) and Nashville International Airport (BNA), as well as reintroducing service from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (YQB).
