Speaking ahead of EURO 2020, Sergio Busquets spoke of the leadership style he hopes to implement in Sergio Ramos’ absence.
Ramos was a surprise exclusion from Spain’s finaly squad – in fact, no Real Madrid players made manager Luis Enrique’s final 26.
Busquets was given the armband as one of La Roja’s senior players, having been involved in the squads that won the 2010 World Cup and 2012 European Championship.
The Barcelona midfielder is yet to play at the tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test, but speaking before EURO 2020 he said he hoped to implement a positive environment among the players.
He told UEFA: “Well, I’ll tackle it in a natural way. I’m fortunate to have such great teammates; there’s a lot of respect between us all. And I’m also fortunate that the coaching staff in the national team encourage that. So, the most important thing is to compete well, to win, and everything else will take care of itself.
“I’ll be there at the front to guide and help them in any way I can, but everyone must help out in that respect in the most natural way, and I’m sure it will all go well. We want to be here for the longest time possible because that would be a good sign, and I’m sure we’ll have good days and bad days but we’ll stick together as a team.
“That in turn will ensure that there’s a good atmosphere, that everyone is enjoying the experience, that everyone feels a desire to compete and that we are all in this together, and that’s one of the secrets of this team.”