2018 has been a year of football farewells. From the Can Barça point of view, the most painful parting was that of Andrés Iniesta, who decided it was time to start a new late-career adventure in Japan. At the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, however, the comings and goings have scarcely stopped all year: Cristiano Ronaldo abandoned the Real Madrid ship, Zidane pressed the eject button, and Lopetegui, his replacement, had to leave with his tail between his legs.
Andrés Iniesta, such sweet sorrow
After 22 years of pulling on a Barça shirt, the club announced on April 27th that Andrés Iniesta was saying adeu. The midfielder tearfully took leave of his lifetime team after a superlative career with nine La Liga titles, four Champions leagues, six Copas del Rey, seven Spanish supercups, three European supercups and three Club World Cups all on his shoulders . After 16 seasons in the Barcelona first team, Iniesta gave the fans the best parting gift possible, bringing home another Copa del Rey for Barça with a 5-0 win against Sevilla and an Andrés goal included. Japanese club Vissel Kobe was in the end his new destination.
EFE
Zinedine Zidane, smartest in the class
Knowing when it is time to go is one of the most difficult decisions to take. After winning three consecutive Champions Leagues with Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane handed in his notice to the blancos by surprise. Well aware of the club's insatiable need for trophies and having detecting alarm signals in the dressing room, the French manager decided to cash in his chips, and did so with his legendary status enhanced. Zidane's decision was a major blow for Madrid president Florentino Pérez, who after opening his wallet to a large number of possible substitute coaches, had to settle for Julen Lopetegui. Fate seemed to be smiling, from a Barça point of view.
EFE
Griezmann and his big decision
It was one of the soap operas of last summer and it had the worst possible ending... for the Barça board. When everyone in the Catalan club was already celebrating Antoine Griezmann's signing, the star French forward decided to leave Barça in the air and stay at Atlético Madrid. Griezmann's decision would not have been so dramatic if it had not been for the way it happened. The player decided to announce his verdict with a video broadcast by Spain's Movistar+ network in which, as if he were a movie star instead of one of the world's top footballers, he recreated how he made his choice. The humiliation was definitive when it was discovered that behind the audiovisual production was Barça's Gerard Piqué.
EFE
Julen Lopetegui, how not to do it
The 2018 will not be a year that leaves Julen Lopetegui with fond memories. The Basque coach made himself look extremely silly not once but twice. First he was dismissed as coach of the Spanish team just one day before the kick-off of the World Cup in Russia, after Florentino Pérez had announced his signing as the new manager of Real Madrid. With a bitter look on his face, Lopetegui had to pack his bags and head home, leaving the national team to face the music without him, to then make his new home in charge of a gargantuan club team which, a few months later, would end up putting him out on his ear. The thrashing that Barça gave Madrid at the Camp Nou (5-1) was the final nail in the coffin as Lopetegui took his place in the football managers' dole queue.
EFE
Cristiano ends his love-hate relationship with the Bernabéu
It started as a rumour but suddenly the operation crystallized. Cristiano Ronaldo left Real Madrid to start a new adventure at Juventus. Real Madrid, in return, received more than 100 million euros, not the only huge pay-out that Ronaldo was involved with in 2018. Some claimed that it was good business for Madrid, but time has ended up confirming the doubts of many at the Bernabéu who initially shook their heads. Without the Portuguese star, Madrid has shown an alarming lack of goal-scoring instinct. Cristiano had many defects, but he was undoubtedly irreplaceable as a player. After years of a head to head rivalry with Lionel Messi, CR7 went to learn the delights of Italian football.
EFE