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Football isn't just about winning trophies. Of course, it helps, but in the broader sense where football clubs are communities that come together, a certain sense of loyalty and fighting for the cause for years on end are also considered great facets that people tip their hat to.
The 2017/18 season saw some glorious eras finally come to an end. The last game - that last farewell - will always be a tear-jerker for fans, players, and managers alike.
We look at five great eras that came/will come to an end this month.
#1 Andres Iniesta's Barcelona exit
Before Pep Guardiola fine-tuned Andres Iniesta's talent, it was Louis van Gaal who saw potential in the young kid who came through La Masia and gave him a debut.
"You're going to retire me. This lad is going to retire us all." - Guardiola to Xavi
However, it was Guardiola who unlocked his true potential and Iniesta has since gone on to win 32 trophies with Barcelona. Not to mention, a World Cup and two Euros with Spain.
El Caballero Pálido (The Pale Knight) is easily one of the most-loved and respected players in Spain and the world. Not many players get a standing ovation at almost every ground in La Liga - not just because he scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, but also because he chose to share that moment with Dani Jarque - his friend that had passed away prior to the tournament.
Iniesta isn't retiring yet, though. He is only leaving Barcelona - possibly for a move to Asia. Being the respectable gentleman that he is, he chose not to play for another club in Europe - lest he faces his former side at some point.
Spanish football owes him a lot. Once the FIFA World Cup concludes, he will be missed when the 2018/19 season gets underway.
#2 Hamburg get relegated after 55 years
Ever since the Bundesliga was formed back in 1963, only one club has remained in the German top flight since its inception - Hamburg. That is, until 12 May 2018.
By the end of matchday two, they were in third place. By the final whistle on the final matchday, they were second last.
One must note that the final whistle itself was delayed after fans threw flares on the pitch. The club's fate wasn't entirely in their hands on the final day. Hamburg needed a win against Borussia Monchengladbach while they also needed Wolfsburg to lose to Cologne (another club that was relegated weeks earlier).
Hamburg won 2-1. Unfortunately for them, Wolfsburg won 4-1. Monchengladbach fans even mocked the club with a rather creative banner meant to mock their relegation clock that has been "ticking for nearly 55 years".
That is not to say that this has not been coming, though. They were on the verge of relegation in the last few seasons too.
They survived last season by beating Wolfsburg on the final day while in 2015 and 2016 they scraped through in the relegation playoffs.
#3 The end of Gianluigi Buffon?
For everything Gianluigi Buffon has won, there is also heartbreak. The Italian goalkeeper has won the World Cup but lost in the final of the Euros. He has won plenty of Serie A titles but never a UEFA Champions League trophy.
Now 40 years old, his retirement has been coming for a while. Hoping to lead the Azzurri for one last time at the 2018 World Cup, their hopes were dashed and ended in tears when they failed to beat Sweden in the playoffs during the qualifiers.
Although he had virtually announced his retirement from the international game, he still returned to the squad for friendlies in March.
"I can still be useful. I might be 40 but I’m the goalkeeper of Juventus." - Buffon
His Champions League dream ended in a game against Real Madrid with a red card for dissent and manhandling the referee.
Also read: Gianluigi Buffon has lost respect for his quotes on referee Michael Oliver
Nevertheless, with his 11th Serie A title virtually sealed, Buffon will end the season with 23 trophies for Juventus (20) and Parma (3). Add the 2006 World Cup to that tally too.
Whether he changes his mind and carries on for one more season remains to be seen, but after seeing him in four different World Cups from 1998 to 2014, we will not see him in a fifth - unless he is still at the top of his game at 44!
#4 Xabi Prieto gets the perfect goodbye
When Juventus were relegated for the Calciopoli scandal, many of their players were praised for staying with the club and saluted for their loyalty. They bounced back the very next season - but not all stories are fairy tales.
Real Sociedad were once relegated from La Liga to the Segunda División back in 2007. They took three years to return to the Spanish top flight, eventually becoming a mainstay since their return in 2010.
Through the ups and downs, their club captain Xabi Prieto stayed with the Basque club. The Spanish midfielder, who has been ever-present in the squad, averaged 35 league games a year until this season.
In April, the 34-year-old confirmed that he would be retiring at the end of the season and the club marked his final home game in a special way - they replaced the club's badge with a face of Prieto himself.
"Xabi has always played for the badge, therefore in his last game at Anoeta, Real Sociedad will take him for a day as the badge."
A fitting tribute to a true legend of the game!
#5 Arsene Wenger steps down after 22 years in charge
Before Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal, the Gunners were a club that bounced up and down the table with limited success. They had their highs and lows over many decades but what Le Professeur brought was a level of consistency.
Indeed, in Wenger's reign, the club has never finished below sixth. Look at his first 20 years and they have always finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League despite their rivals outspending the financially stricken club following their move to the Emirates Stadium.
And what Wenger brought was his own brand of football that elevated "Boring, boring Arsenal" to the pinnacle of beautiful football in England. The unbeaten run of 49 games which included an Invincibles season was easily the highlight of his career.
Although the last two years have been rough with Wenger falling behind his rivals, the club and its fans will forever be indebted to him for his contributions. And the Premier League will always remember him for the man who broke the glass ceiling for foreign managers to thrive in England.
