Is the end of an era approaching at Can Barça?
Legendary midfielder Andrés Iniesta, one of the most winning players of all time for Los Blaugranas, could be thinking about leaving his only professional team, as the footballer enters the final year of his contract.
Despite ongoing negotiations with Barcelona execs, his role on the team will play a key role in his decision, which could go either way due to a number of reasons.
"I never said I wasn't going to renew my contract, but rather to evaluate a lot of different things. It isn't an economic matter. I need to make an honest decision and one that is best for everyone," Iniesta told Onda Cero.
Iniesta's role with the team saw him enjoy playing time mostly as a substitute, with coach Luis Enrique granting more playing time to players such as André Gomes or Ivan Rakitic. With Luis Enrique gone, El Fantasmita's decision will surely have to do with what new manager Ernesto Valverde wants from him.
"Given how the season has gone, how everything has changed and how I have learned to value certain things, I said weeks ago that when the time comes for me to leave it will not become a confrontation between me and the club. My bare minimum intention is to fulfil the contract that I have and that is what I want to do," Iniesta told RAC-1 in a different interview.
The Spanish player is one of the most respected and beloved footballers in Spain for his gestures on and off the pitch. Aside from being Barcelona's icon for more than a decade, his goal against The Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup final raised him to a cult hero status with fans all over the country, earning him a round of applause in each and every stadium he visits.
