Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has named Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets as the most impressive player he has come up against in his career, admitting: “he just embarrassed me!”
The Gunners played Barcelona in a preseason fixture during the summer of 2019, when Saka was just 17.
He had made his first-team debut the previous season and joined the squad - then under Unai Emery - as they travelled to the Nou Camp for the Joan Gamper Trophy exhibition match against the Catalan giants.
Speaking in an interview with GQ magazine, Saka recalled: “The way [Busquets] just so elegantly turned me! I came at him to press him, I tried to fake this side then go to the other, and the way he just embarrassed me: I was just like, yeah, this guy is elite.
“The way he just took me out of the play, I said, ‘Respect.’ He is three steps ahead of everyone and that’s what makes you a top footballer. That’s what I realised that day.”
During the same interview, Saka was also asked which goal from football history he would love to have scored and again looked to Barcelona.
“Because of the moment, I think I would say Lionel Messi’s goal in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Club [in 2015],” he said. “The one where he dribbled everyone.
“Now that I play, I can see how hard it is to score that goal. People are trying to kick him, to bring him down in the process, and he just keeps going, and he still scored in the final, as well. I was just like, wow. When he says he’s going past you, you’re not stopping him!”
