Given he's considered to be a quiet, unassuming man, seeing Andres Iniesta booked for dissent in the Copa Del Rey final came as a huge surprise. But the departing Barcelona skipper made amends immediately.
Almost straight after being shown a yellow card for giving the referee an earful, an act out of character for Iniesta, the 33-year old apologised to the man in the middle, Jesus Gil Manzano.
Advert
With the Blaugrana 4-0 up, Iniesta was unhappy that Gil Manzano had failed to award a free-kick in the 5-0 thrashing of Sevilla, but soon realised he had stepped out of line. His classy apology was duly accepted by the referee.
The World Cup winner found the net in what will be his last final appearance for his beloved Barcelona and he couldn't hold back the tears when he left the pitch to be replaced by Denis Suarez.
The whole of the Wanda Metropolitano, including Sevilla fans, produced a standing ovation for the legend in what was a wonderful sight.
Then when the trophy presentation came around, Lionel Messi allowed his friend and teammate to collect the bit of silverware by himself - breaking the usual tradition of Barca having two captains lifting trophies.
Iniesta is widely expected to become the next high-profile player to move to the Chinese Super League, with a lucrative free transfer to Chongqing Dangdai Lifan on the cards.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Copa del Rey, Sevilla, La Liga
