The stadium DJ who had spent the last ten minutes drowning out the Barcelona supporters finally fell silent and the microphone was at last passed to the man of a million passes – Andres Iniesta.
He was in tears as a video of his greatest moments played on various screens around the Camp Nou stadium he has graced for 15 seasons.
‘These have been 22 unbelievable years and it has been an honour to defend this club – for me the best club in the world,' he said.
‘I want to thank every one of my team-mates and all of you in the stadium. I’m leaving aged 34 years and I just want to say that my heart will be here for ever.’
His team-mates promptly gave him the bumps out on the edge of the centre circle as around 90,000 inside the Nou Camp belted his name out one more time.
Iniesta’s last coach Ernesto Valverde said: ‘I will be able to say in the future that I was the Barcelona manager for the game that he left the club. He is someone who will never be repeated.
‘I think it was an emotional night for everyone. He is a legend here. He is the standard bearer.’
Iniesta carried the Spanish league title around the stadium as the Barcelona players celebrated with their families on the pitch.
He had been joined by members of his family who had watched his final game alongside former Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez.
Xavi had published an open letter in the build up to the game in which he said: ‘I still remember the first time I saw Andres play.
‘I was in the youth team and he was in the underage group and somebody in the club told me: “Xavi, there's a boy down there who's going to be the best”.
‘When I saw him play, I said to myself, “This guy doesn't look like me as much as they say, he's different”.
‘This player had more creativity, he was a better dribbler and could go to the wide areas and cross the ball. You watched him play and it was a show.’
Barcelona put on some light show to see him off. Once the glitter ticker-tape has been cleared off the Camp Nou pitch it will start to sink in that one of the greatest players to ever grace the surface has played his last game here in the famous red and blue shirt.