Andres Iniesta ‘deserves the whole stadium to give him a guard of honour’ against Real Madrid, according to Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde.
Iniesta will face Madrid for the final time next weekend, when Barca host their arch-rivals in the Clasico, but Los Blancos have already affirmed that they will not perform the gesture if the Catalans win La Liga before then.
“He deserves the whole stadium to give him a guard of honour,” the Coach said at a Press conference.
“We’re very excited and we’re going to give it our all. We want to be the best. We’ve been working since our first day together.
“It’s been very difficult. When you win a trophy, everything seems simple, but there are many games and months behind you.
“I didn’t expect us to win it by such a big margin, I thought it would be tighter, but the players have been extraordinary.
“What I’ve learned from Iniesta? The decisions he makes at each moment of a game, how he positions himself before receiving the ball and how he already knows where he’s going to play it.
“I’ve been surprised by the ease with which it does things. Not everyone can do things like he does. I’ve learned something every day from watching Andres Iniesta.
“My future? If the President says [no-one on the board questions his continuity] then I have nothing more to say. I have a contract in force and I want to win the League.
“No guard of honour from Madrid? It’s a tribute from the players, which has been distorted.
“There’s a strange feeling that when it’s between rivals, it’s a matter of revenge and the other team feel humiliated.
“Therefore, I say enough is enough. We should forget everything surrounding the guard of honour.”
