Argentina cries for Andres Iniesta too

Tears, tears, tears. Andres Iniesta's goodbye also bathed Argentina in salty tears, where his goodbye press conference caused as much commotion as if a local player was leaving.

Globalisation creates these type of situations, impossible to think of a couple of decades ago. Television has shrunk the distances and it's easy for the average Argentine fan to identify with the man who is "the most important player in Spanish football" as La Nacion said. Much of that has to do with his work with Leo Messi during these triumphant and glorious Barcelona years, but also because he is the type of player that any football fan would dream of having in their team - and the type which seems is under threat of extinction in their homeland.

"End of an era, football cries as the Iniesta-Messi link ends," was a headline on TyC Sports, in the same line as the rest of the media outlets. "Tearful goodbye," wrote Ole, with Clarin and La Nacion following suit.

Javier Mascherano from China wrote Iniesta a message, saying it was a privilege to have played with Iniesta and that he wants to keep enjoying Iniesta's game wherever he goes - and that looks likely to be China too, albeit for a different team. 

"You never shared a word or took a coffee with him, but oyu love him as if he has been your friend since the first day of school," wrote Elias Perugino, who was El Grafico editor before it shut down.