Andres Iniesta is leaving Barcelona at the right time and for the right destination

To deal with those questions one at a time, we can regretfully conclude that yes, this is the right time for Iniesta to leave Barcelona, despite the full part he played in Saturday’s triumph.

The dribbling wizard will be 34 before the end of the season, and doesn’t feel that he is physically capable of playing a significant role for a major club like Barcelona – and he knows his own body better than anyone, so we cannot question that judgment.

Sure, he could stay at the Camp Nou and be a bench-warmer, trotting out for half-an-hour occasionally and maybe getting the odd start if other players were injured or suspended.

But Iniesta knows that staying in such circumstances would be unsatisfactory both for him and the club. From a personal perspective, it would deny him the opportunity to do what he does best: play football.

And from the club’s point of view, his ongoing presence would threaten to cast an unwanted shadow in times of trouble: if the team was struggling, the obvious short-term solution favoured by many would be ‘Get Iniesta on the pitch!’

It wouldn’t always be as easy as that, though. Despite his excellent display on Saturday, in many respects Sevilla played right into his and Barcelona’s hands with their wide open team shape, and in other games against more defensively disciplined opposition – the recent Champions League collapse against Roma, for example – he has struggled to make much impact.

In any case, that kind of atmosphere would make it much harder for Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele to flourish, knowing that a living legend was breathing down their necks, and the last thing that Iniesta wants to become for Barcelona is a problem.

Instead, he deserves to bow out now with his dignity intact, his legacy unquestioned and his place in history untarnished by any late-career controversies. It is the perfect time for him to leave before his inevitable dip in productivity presented a negative frame of reference, and Saturday’s goal-scoring, trophy-lifting performance was the perfect way for him to bow out.

But why China? Iniesta is obviously good enough to play an important role in one of Europe’s top leagues, even if he can’t still play at the absolute top – Real Betis boss Quique Setien, for instance, jokingly pleaded with Iniesta to join his club on Twitter on Sunday.

One thing is for absolute certain, though: Iniesta would not want to play against Barcelona. Can you imagine it? Can you imagine it? A player who has become synonymous with Barca pulling on the green and white shirt of Betis to go up against Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and co? For Iniesta, that scenario would be extremely uncomfortable, and he would not wish to risk damaging his Camp Nou reputation by associating himself with another Spanish club.

He could always head to the Premier League, or the Bundesliga, and make a fresh start with a club like Arsenal or Borussia Dortmund. But really, what would be the point to that? In many ways making his mark in a high-pressure environment like that would be even more difficult than staying at Barca, and Iniesta obviously doesn’t feel like he’s up to that task.

And there is, obviously, also the question of money. Reports suggest that Iniesta will become one of the highest-paid players in the world by moving to China, and if that can be accompanied by a new and exciting life experience along with the chance to continue playing football in a less stressful situation, few could begrudge him that opportunity.

So Iniesta is right to leave Barcelona, and he is right to move to China. And now, with the league title likely to be wrapped up next weekend, the remainder of the season can be a fully deserved celebration of the career of one of Spain’s greatest ever sportsmen.