Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde accepts it will be difficult to replace departing club great Andres Iniesta, who he describes as a 'player with a special type of magic'.
Iniesta bowed out at Barca during a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, with the 34-year-old attacking midfielder having made 674 appearances for the club, helping them to a huge haul of trophies during his 16 years in the first team.
There will never be another player like him and I had the good luck to coach him.
Ernesto Valverde
Iniesta has won nine league titles, six Copa del Reys, three UEFA Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, seven Supercopa de Espana and four Champions league crowns with Barca.
He has also helped Spain to triumphs at the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, as well as the 2010 World Cup, where he scored the extra-time winner against the Netherlands in the final.
And Valverde accepts that there is no chance of finding a like-for-like replacement for such a figure and says he will have to work on his options to try and pug the gap.
Valverde said after an emotional evening in the Camp Nou: "He's a player with a special type of magic. He makes easy what we all find difficult and this is the essence of his football.
"I feel privileged to have coached Iniesta like all the others before me. We're talking about a unique, one-of-a-kind player.
"There will never be another player like him and I had the good luck to coach him.
"We can't sign a replica because we won't find one. We'll have to readjust to another reality because the profile (of his replacement) will naturally be different."
Meanwhile, Spain are 9/2 to win the World Cup this summer, with France priced at 7/1 and holders Germany available at 8/1.
View all Soccer betting
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde accepts it will be difficult to replace departing club great Andres Iniesta, who he describes as a 'player with a special type of magic'.
Iniesta bowed out at Barca during a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, with the 34-year-old attacking midfielder having made 674 appearances for the club, helping them to a huge haul of trophies during his 16 years in the first team.
There will never be another player like him and I had the good luck to coach him.
Ernesto Valverde
Iniesta has won nine league titles, six Copa del Reys, three UEFA Super Cups, three FIFA Club World Cups, seven Supercopa de Espana and four Champions league crowns with Barca.
He has also helped Spain to triumphs at the 2008 and 2012 European Championships, as well as the 2010 World Cup, where he scored the extra-time winner against the Netherlands in the final.
And Valverde accepts that there is no chance of finding a like-for-like replacement for such a figure and says he will have to work on his options to try and pug the gap.
Valverde said after an emotional evening in the Camp Nou: "He's a player with a special type of magic. He makes easy what we all find difficult and this is the essence of his football.
"I feel privileged to have coached Iniesta like all the others before me. We're talking about a unique, one-of-a-kind player.
"There will never be another player like him and I had the good luck to coach him.
"We can't sign a replica because we won't find one. We'll have to readjust to another reality because the profile (of his replacement) will naturally be different."
Meanwhile, Spain are 9/2 to win the World Cup this summer, with France priced at 7/1 and holders Germany available at 8/1.
View all Soccer betting
Source: bet365.com