Iniesta hints at departure to make a bad day worse for Barca

MADRID, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Tuesday night was a difficult one for FC Barcelona as they crashed out of the Champions League following a 3-0 defeat to Roma, which knocked them out of the competition on away goals.

One of the sights of the evening was Andres Iniesta, who was substituted in the closing minutes when they score was still 2-0 on the night, looking pensive in the Barca dugout and afterwards the Spain international midfielder made a bad night worse for the Catalans when he spoke to the press and implied this could be his last season at the club.

The 33-year-old, who has been with Barca for 20 years, was asked if it could be his last Champions League appearance as a Barca player and replied, "it's a possibility, but we are all very upset today."

Iniesta will be 34 before the end of the current season and has been used increasingly sparingly by Barca coach Ernesto Valverde, making just 24 appearances in the Liga Santander totaling 1,034 minutes, plus another 450 minutes in Europe.

Although he only recently signed a contract to keep him at the club as long as he wants there is also a growing feeling that he could announce his departure to end his career in China.

"It's not a day for messages, but it is difficult to pick yourself up after what happened today," he admitted.

"We are really upset and it is hard for all of us, for the club, the players and the fans. We had high hopes in this competition and we have failed once again," said Iniesta. Enditem