At a glance
- On April 21st, 2018, Andres Iniesta scored his last ever goal for FC Barcelona.
- It came in a 5-0 Copa del Rey final win over Sevilla at the Metropolitano.
- At the end of that season, ‘Don’ Andres fled to Japan.
April 21st is special for Culers and one of FC Barcelona’s best ever players.
For it was on this day in 2018 that arguably the greatest Spanish player of all time – Andres Iniesta – netted his final goal in Blaugrana colours.
Neymar left for Paris Saint-Germain the summer before. Yet with Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez still at the height of their powers, poor Sevilla stood no chance in the Copa del Rey final.
Held at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano stadium, Barca dominated the decider and came out undisputed 5-0 winners.
Yet while Messi and Suarez (twice) were also on the scoresheet, Iniesta’s 52nd minute strike provided the emotional highlight of a silverware win under Ernesto Valverde.
Iniesta’s last Barcelona goal was his typical ‘mago‘ best
Known as ‘El Mago de Fuentealbilla‘ (or the wizard of his said hometown), Iniesta’s final Barcelona goal was typical.
In a vintage “toca y me voy” one-two with Messi on the edge of the box, Iniesta administered his trademark la roqueta by shifting the ball from one foot to the other.
Beating Sevilla ‘keeper David Soria with that moment of brilliance, Iniesta only had to slot it into an empty net, which he did to secure a 4-0 scoreline that eventually became a manita to hold up all five fingers.
Valverde knew what he was doing when he brought Iniesta off in the 88th minute. That allowed him to receive a standing ovation from both sets of fans, and once sat on the bench, Iniesta was visibly touched while it dawned on him it’d be his last final in Blaugrana.
Iniesta went on to play a few more league matches after. They included a Clasico against Real Madrid and a true farewell at Camp Nou as Barca beat Real Sociedad 1-0.
But in many ways, it was the Metropolitano-held final – and his 57th and final goal for the Catalans – that was his true swansong before heading to Vissel Kobe and ending a 22-connection that began when joining La Masia in 1996.
