May has been a heartbreaking month for football. First we saw Arsene Wenger on the touchline for one last time as Arsenal manager. Earlier this week we saw Gianluigi Buffon and Andres Iniesta play their last matches for Juventus and Barcelona respectively. It will be extremely difficult to imagine football without some of our childhood’s biggest icons. Let’s celebrate the achievements of the people who influenced us to fall in love with the beautiful game.
Andres Iniesta
Iniesta signed with Barcelona at 1996 when he was just 12 years old. Over the years Barcelona has seen many coaches but the Spaniard thrived under every single one of them which is evident by the 32 trophies he won during his 20 year spell at the Catalan club. We will truly miss seeing one of the most influential architects of the modern game but there’s no need to get too sad though as Iniesta has been included in Spain’s World Cup squad.
Gianluigi Buffon
The 40 year old is considered as one of the best shot stoppers of all time and one of the most decorated with 9 Serie A title and one World Cup to his name. He was the most expensive goalkeeper in the world until Ederson broke his transfer fee record. A true faithful to the Bianconeri, Buffon stuck around when Juventus was relegated to the Serie B and he was a key figure in ensuring that his side rose again. A true legend.