Barcelona Midfielder Follows Lionel Messi To Ligue 1

Another Barcelona player has left Camp Nou for Ligue 1.

Oriol Busquets has completed his transfer to Clermont Foot 63 after signing a three-year contract with Ligue 1 side, the club officially announced Saturday.

Like many of his contemporaries, Busquets also entered the famed La Masia at a very young age. He finally got his first and only senior team call-up in the summer of 2018 before being loaned to FC Twente in the 2019-20 season.

After his loan spell at Twente, the defensive midfielder made his return to Barcelona and re-joined the Barça B squad.

Busquets is the second player to leave Barca for a Ligue 1 club this summer after Lionel Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

Like Messi, Busquets is also looking forward to a productive season with his new team.

“I’m very happy to be here, in this city, in this club which has, I think, the same goals as me,” Busquets told Clermont Foot 63’s official website in a statement. “I will do my best and work hard to make the fans happy.”

“The start of a new stage full of illusion,” the midfielder added on Instagram. “I am very happy to be at this club. Thank you all for the welcome and for all the messages. Come on Clermont!!!!!”

After spending “14 years” of his career with Barcelona, Busquets bid an emotional farewell to the club that made his dream come true as well.

“It’s time to say goodbye to what has been my home for 14 years,” the 22-year-old wrote on another Instagram post. “I joined the club at the age of 8 and left at the age of 22, after a lot of learning, friendships, values, and above all, unforgettable experiences. I feel hugely fortunate to have been able to defend those colors all these seasons, coming to fulfill the dream of any kid who starts kicking the ball, which is to play alongside the best.”

“I would like to thank all the coaches, teammates, physical trainers, physios, doctors, material managers and any member of the club with whom I have dealt and who have helped me to be a better player and a better person,” he continued. “Thank you so much for everything.”

Messi and Busquets could face each other this season at Ligue 1 when PSG takes on Clermont Foot 63 on Sept. 12.

Until then, the Parisians will play Reims on Sunday with head coach Mauricio Pochettino “likely” to hand Messi his PSG debut.