Muhammad Shakib/Sports desk
Football Club Barcelona bids adieu to their legend Andres Iniesta with double domestic trophies as the men in red sealed their victory in the last fixture of La Liga against Real Sociedad at Camp Nou on Sunday night.
Brazilian superstar Phillippe Coutinho scored the winning goal for barca with an outstanding long range shot from outside the box. With the 1-0 goal win, the Spanish giant claimed their 25th La Liga trophy. Earlier on last week they clinched their 30th Copa Del Rey title with a smashing win over Sevilla de Football Club.
The players and the crowd stood on their feet as the referee whistled the match to an end. The whistle not only marked the end of the game but also the end of an ‘Infinite’ era of Andres Iniesta. The Camp Nou paid tribute to Iniesta’s 22 years’ career at Barcelona.
The mastermind of midfield Iniesta got the send-off he deserved on Sunday evening in his last ever game in the famous blaugrana shirt – the only one of he has ever worn in one of the most glittering careers in football history.
The 34 years old Iniesta won 32 major trophies with Barcelona including 2 Sextuple (all the six trophies in a single season) to mark his career.
Addressing supporters on the pitch after the final whistle, Iniesta said “I thank you for all the love and respect that you’ve given me since I arrived as a child, and I now leave as a man, having spent so long playing for the Catalan giants.”
“I will move on and carry you all in my heart forever,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful 22 years, full of pride, and it’s been a pleasure to represent this club,” he claimed with eyes full of tears.
Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde felt it was only right to give the midfielder the send-off he deserved by replacing him late in the game with Paco Alcacer.
“We wanted to compete and win, but today was Andres’ day and the crowd made it special,” Valverde added. “I wanted to change things at the end of the game, to coincide with Messi on the field. It was the right moment.”
“These types of players will be talked about long into the future. They are unrepeatable, historical players that everyone will remember,” claimed Valverde with an emotional tone.
Andres Iniesta marked his 22 years career at Barcelona with 674 appearances, 57 goals, 32 major trophies, and last of all most impotently never get any red card in this long football career.
Photo: AFP