Madrid sports daily Marca presented an article discussing two players that have played important roles for the Spanish National Team in their quest to win the World Cup in South Africa, but whose contributions might not be as noticeable as those of players such as David Villa, Xavi Hernández, or Andrés Iniesta. According to Marca writer Javier Estepa, FC Barcelona players midfielder Sergio Busquets (21) and forward Pedro Rodríguez (22) are the ‘stars in the shadows.’ What follows is a translation of his article, which can be found here.

They are, without a doubt, the stars in the shadow. Busquets and Pedro are becoming two of the sensations of this World Cup of South Africa because of their outstanding performances. The first has been demonstrating it since the first game of the Spanish national team, and the second has had fewer minutes but also has made it clear that this World Cup final is not too big for him.

Sergio Busquets is one of the most utilized football players by Vicente del Bosque. The midfielder has started all of the games, and only in the first match against Switzerland was he substituted for Fernando Torres. He performs his job in silence and doesn’t stop helping in the middle of the field to recover balls and to thread the pass to Xavi so that he can begin to create.

He was outstanding in the semifinal against Germany, and, despite not being the center of attention in any of the games, the national team coach knows perfectly well that Busquets gives the team an equilibrium that very few can give. He debuted in April of 2009 with la Roja, and today he is an indisputable staring player. In the final against Holland he will be charged with disrupting the play of Sneijder, and no one has any doubt that he will do it well.

The second star in the shadows of this team that is asked to make history is Pedro. He was a surprise on Vicente del Bosque’s South Africa World Cup list, and the boy has not disappointed. He made his debut in the match against Portugal, substituting for David Villa in the final minutes. In the quarterfinal he had more minutes, and it was his foot that initiated the goal that ‘el Guaje’ scored. Pedro hit the post, and Villa caught the rebound to score on the second attempt.

His good form led to Del Bosque benching Fernando Torres against Germany to use Pedro as an alternative. He did not waste the opportunity of starting and was a constant danger on the right side.

Two years ago, when the Spanish national team conquered the Euro Cup, both players were unknown. Now, they can make history. Busquets and Pedro, Pedro and Busquets. Two silent volcanoes that are always ready to explode for Spain.