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Watch Andres Iniesta's emotional farewell in his (likely) last cup final at Barcelona

Henry Bushnell
·Senior soccer reporter
Andres Iniesta leaves one last Copa Del Rey final to a standing ovation. (Getty)
Andres Iniesta leaves one last Copa Del Rey final to a standing ovation. (Getty)

There has been no official announcement about Andres Iniesta’s future at the only club he has ever known. But 60 beautiful, emotional, unscripted seconds during Barcelona’s 5-0 Copa Del Rey final triumph over Sevilla on Saturday were better than any announcement or prepared tribute could have been.

Iniesta is reportedly off to China at season’s end after more than two decades at Barcelona. So as he exited the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano pitch Saturday, with one last cup final triumph all but secured, the applause started to roll around him. And when it did, tears started to flow.

Barcelona fans bowed down to him. Even Sevilla fans gave him a standing ovation.

Commentators apparently couldn’t believe he was leaving them:

Iniesta had been fittingly brilliant on the night, and punctuated his performance with a customarily clever goal, combining with Lionel Messi as he so often has over the past decade:

He later lifted the trophy – his penultimate at Barca. He’ll soon lift his last one when the Catalans clinch their La Liga crown.

Soccer Football – Spanish King’s Cup Final – FC Barcelona v Sevilla – Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain – April 21, 2018 Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta celebrates by lifting the trophy after the match as the King of Spain Felipe VI applauds REUTERS/Juan Medina
Soccer Football – Spanish King’s Cup Final – FC Barcelona v Sevilla – Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain – April 21, 2018 Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta celebrates by lifting the trophy after the match as the King of Spain Felipe VI applauds REUTERS/Juan Medina

He will depart Barcelona as one of the greatest players in club history, and perhaps one of the best European football has ever seen. He’ll have 32 club trophies to his name.

More importantly, he’ll have been responsible for millions of love affairs with the sport, unquantifiable inspiration, and countless indelible memories.

FC Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta, right, and Lionel Messi celebrate during an award ceremony after defeating Sevilla 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final soccer match at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Paul White)
FC Barcelona’s Andres Iniesta, right, and Lionel Messi celebrate during an award ceremony after defeating Sevilla 5-0 in the Copa del Rey final soccer match at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, April 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Having joined the club as a 12-year-old, and having been such a massive part of its success for over a decade, Iniesta will get a proper sendoff soon enough. Saturday felt like the start of it.

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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer, and occasionally other ball games, for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.

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