Arguably the best holding/screening midfielder of the last 15-ish years, methinks — only Makelélé and mature Fußballgott offer sincere competition, but they had disparate strengths and I'd take Busquets over either in a team with fine-tuned positional play, an emphasis on ball retention and a knack for condensing spaces as he was a paragon of that esoteric model of football.
Not the quickest or strongest or the most tackle-happy player around obviously...and could struggle in open games or again rigorous counter-attacking teams where we was asked to double up as a marker/bulwark, but tactically immaculate as Barcelona and Spain's conveyor, technically consummate and precise on the ball, as press-resistant as any other historically great player performing a similar metronomic function, made 99 right choices out 100, and self-sacrificing to the max while mastering the art of effortless simplicity. Now, you could allege that he was a massive beneficiary of his coaches' schematic principles as well as the remarkable midfield cast around him, but by the same token, he was ingrained into the fabric of the teams he reigned supreme in, and very few players (before or since) boasted the poise or mentality to combine with a duo as quick-thinking and demanding as Xaviesta.
I mean, just think of how vital he was to peak Barcelona's framework — not only did the aforementioned duo have near-complete peace of mind with the trustworthy third wheel behind them, he was the base of the diamond/quartet, Alves could maraud up the flank, Piqué could methodically push into midfield, Messi could drop to receive a delectably weighted pass, Valdés had an ever-ready pressure release outlet, and so on and so forth.
Regarding his where-does-he-rank? comparison with Xavi and Iniesta, while Busquets was undoubtedly great from he isn't close to them in an inclusive All-Time conversation...
- Xavi is arguably the greatest central midfielder ever, and in the Top 10 or at least Top 20 (as that's the typical landing spot for Matthäus).
- Iniesta is up there with the Zidanes and the Laudrups, and in the Top 20—30 range.
- Busquets might sneak into the Top 100, but he also might not — as there are only so many midfield spots to go around, and he was wasn't as formidable from an individual standpoint as some others.