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Iniesta confirms he will leave Barcelona at end of season

Andres Iniesta held an emotional press conference at the Ciutat Esportiva on Friday to announce that this will be his final season with Barcelona.

Iniesta’s family, his manager Ernesto Valverde, and his teammates were also present at the announcement as the 33-year-old one-club man tried to hold back his tears.

It is widely reported that his next stop will be in China, with Chongqing Dangdai Lifan, handled by former Portugal manager Paulo Bento, among a host of potential suitors.

“I said I would never play against Barca so it is not going to be in Europe,” he said, as translated by BBC Sport.

“We will know at the end of the season – there are still things to talk about.”

The legendary midfielder has made 669 appearances for the Blaugrana over 16 seasons, winning a huge 31 pieces of silverware in club football. The procurement of a ninth La Liga title will be confirmed if Barcelona avoids defeat against Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday. He’s also collected two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with Spain.

Iniesta confessed it was a difficult decision to leave Catalonia, noting how he has “spent my whole life” at Barcelona.

“A great deal of who I am, is down to Barca and La Masia – I am very thankful to them,” he added.

“I spoke to a lot of people – players, coaches – and I know what they want, but I tried to be honest with myself and the club.”

A key benefactor of Iniesta’s unique talents was Pep Guardiola, his former manager at the Camp Nou. The Manchester City tactician paid tribute to the No. 8 while speaking at his own press conference on Friday.

“I want to thank him,” Guardiola shared, per Goal’s Sam Lee. “People think managers help the players but he helped me understand the game better, just watching how he plays the game. Hopefully, he comes back to Barcelona to teach young players, or professional players, what he showed on the pitch.”

NFL

NFL reacts to Seahawks' drafting Shaquem Griffin
2:55 PM ET

  • ESPN staff

Shaquem Griffin’s inspiring journey to the 2018 NFL draft came full circle in Saturday’s fifth round, when the Seattle Seahawks drafted the Central Florida linebacker with the 141st overall pick.

The move reunites Griffin with his twin brother, Shaquill, a third-round selection in 2017, and it spurred reaction across the league, starting with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

Former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, also chimed in:

Soccer

Unai Emery to leave Paris Saint-Germain at season's end

Paris Saint-Germain manager Unai Emery announced he will leave the French champion at the end of the season.

The Spanish manager, who took charge in 2016, helped PSG reclaim its Ligue 1 crown earlier this month after finishing behind AS Monaco during his first year at the helm.

Emery, as translated by Jonathan Johnson of ESPN FC, broke the news during Friday’s meeting with the media: “I have told the players, (sporting director) Antero (Henrique) & the president (chairman & CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi) that it is finished. I thank everybody. All that remains is the Coupe de France final.”

The 46-year-old appears as though he could be headed back to Spain, with rumours suggesting that he will take over at Real Sociedad.

With his contract set to expire this summer, it was widely speculated that Emery and PSG would part ways following the club’s latest failure in the Champions League.

A year after PSG’s stunning loss to Barcelona when the Catalan side overturned at 5-1 first-leg defeat by winning 6-5 on aggregate in the round of 16, the capital-city side bowed out of this season’s competition with a 5-2 aggregate loss at the hands of Real Madrid.

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Emery’s second season in charge began with towering expectations following the arrival Neymar for a world-record transfer fee. Kylian Mbappe followed suit after PSG struck a deal with Monaco for the French prodigy.

Neymar’s arrival from Barcelona predictably proved to be a massive boost for PSG, but Emery soon found himself at the centre of controversy when the Brazilian engaged in an altercation with the club’s record-goalscorer Edinson Cavani over who was responsible for taking a penalty.

Just over a week before PSG was set to face Real Madrid in the quarter-final, Emery’s hopes of progressing in the Champions League were dealt a massive blow when Neymar fractured a metatarsal bone in his right foot.

PSG went on to win to win the Coupe de la Ligue before clinching its fifth league title in six seasons with a 7-1 win over Monaco on April 15.

Emery, winner of three consecutive Europa League titles during his time with Sevilla, will now set his sights on winning the treble, as PSG gets set to take on third-tier side Les Herbiers VF in the Coup de France on May 8.

Meanwhile, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and former Borussia Dortmund gaffer Thomas Tuchel are among the candidates who have been linked with taking charge at PSG ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

NFL

Key out to prove value after falling to Raiders

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Arden Key has a specific goal in mind for his rookie year, besides racking up sacks and stats for the Oakland Raiders. It has more to do with separating perception from his reality.

“That I’m not the guy that the media portrays me to be,” Key said Friday night after the Raiders selected the former LSU defensive end in the third round of the draft, 87th overall.

“Football is not the question. Everybody knows, talent-wise, if we’re just talking talent, top-five pick, automatic.”

Rounds 4-7: Sat., noon, ESPN/ABC/ESPN App
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• Barnwell: Who aced trade value in Round 1 »
• New digits: First-round picks get numbers »
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• Clay’s fantasy reax: Rounds 2-3 | 1

Key, though, fell into the third round and into the Raiders’ lap because of off-the-field issues that clouded his past year. In the spring of 2017 he checked himself into rehab for marijuana, and then appeared in just eight games last fall because of injuries. This after he set the LSU single-season sacks record with 12 in 2016. Key had 26 1/2 sacks during three seasons as a Tiger.

Raiders coach Jon Gruden sees Key as a third pass-rusher, along with Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.

“Well, he’s not a finished product,” Gruden said of Key. “He’s made some mistakes. He’s had some difficult times in his young life, and I know where he’s been for the last several months, and I know what he’s been through in his career. We’ve done a lot of research on him and he has a lot to prove … but at the end of the third round, we feel like it’s a gamble worth taking and this young man has some qualities that are rare.

“We do think he’s a very good kid … but this is a young person that needs some help right now, and we’re going to help him.”

Key said he acknowledged his mistakes to teams in pre-draft interviews and felt his honesty helped him. Even if, as he said, he went later than his talent should have had him go in the draft.

“I know I’m not a third-round pick; I’m a first-round talent, top five,” he said. “I went through some situations that caused me to be a third-round pick. I’ve learned from those things and this is the consequence of me going through what I went through. I’m a better person now than I was prior to it. I’m just happy to be at the right place.

“I feel the Oakland Raiders is the right place for me. That was the best visit I went on out of all eight of my visits. Being on the other side of Khalil Mack, learning things from him and that sort, him taking me under his wing [would be helpful], if he wants to do that.”

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Soccer