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21st May 2018

PICS: Andres Iniesta sits alone on the Camp Nou pitch at 1am, following his last game for Barcelona

Tony Cuddihy

Andres Iniesta

A moment of reflection for the 34-year-old Andres Iniesta.

The legendary Andres Iniesta played his final game for Barcelona against Real Sociedad in a 1-0 win and, long after the final whistle and fans and his fellow players had left the stadium, the 34-year-old took one last stroll on to the pitch he graced for over 600 matches.

 

 

After 22 years of service, it made for a plaintive end to Iniesta’s time at Barcelona.

His former team-mate Xavi had published an open letter to Iniesta before the game.

“I still remember the first time I saw Andres play,” it read.

“I was in the youth team and he was in the underage group and somebody in the club told me: “Xavi, there’s a boy down there who’s going to be the best.

“When I saw him play, I said to myself, “This guy doesn’t look like me as much as they say, he’s different”.

“This player had more creativity, he was a better dribbler and could go to the wide areas and cross the ball. You watched him play and it was a show.”