Barcelona confirmed on Monday that Sergio Busquets has returned to the club, taking up a role as assistant coach of Barça Atlètic, the reserve team currently competing in Spain’s fourth division.
The announcement comes as Barcelona supporters await official confirmation of Rodri’s potential arrival. Busquets, 38, returns to his boyhood club to join the coaching staff of head coach Juliano Belletti, the former Barcelona right-back who represented the first team between 2004 and 2007.
A World Cup winner with Spain in 2010 and a player with 143 international appearances, Busquets enjoyed a legendary career at Barcelona, winning the UEFA Champions League three times in 2009, 2011, and 2015. He will work as an assistant coach while continuing his studies to complete his head coach qualification.
Busquets announced his retirement at the end of 2025 following a two-and-a-half-year spell with Inter Miami. Before moving to Major League Soccer in 2023, he spent 15 seasons as a key member of Barcelona’s first team from 2008 to 2023.
With 722 appearances, Busquets ranks third on Barcelona’s all-time appearance list, behind only Xavi Hernández (767) and Lionel Messi (778). A graduate of La Masia, he now returns to the club to bring his experience, leadership, and tactical knowledge to Belletti’s coaching staff.