The crying game – 5 stars who could not hold back the tears in press conferences

Andres Iniesta

When Andres Iniesta announced in April last year that he would be leaving Barcelona – the club he had played for since childhood – at the end of the season, the World Cup winner gave an emotional speech which even had a number of his team-mates and the watching journalists getting a little teary-eyed. Iniesta, who won nine LaLiga titles and four Champions Leagues with Barca, said the "magic" of playing for the club outweighed the fact he never won the Ballon d'Or. "My only aim was to be a success at this club and I have done that," the midfielder said, with no small amount of understatement.

Steve Smith

Former Australia cricket captain Steve Smith had very different reasons to tear up in March as he took full responsibility for the ball-tampering scandal involving himself, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner. Smith was forced to step down from the captaincy and was banned from international cricket for a year – and Australia continues to feel the impact of the scandal with the team's fortunes on the pitch yet to recover. Australia coach Darren Lehmann, cleared of any involvement, was also in tears as he announced his resignation over the scandal.

Bubba Watson

It is surely one of his happiest memories in life, but Bubba Watson cannot talk about his Masters victories without tearing up. He cried at the time, and he cried when discussing it at another press conference a year later. And he cried once more when he repeated the trick in 2014.

Peyton Manning

When Brett Favre retired (again), it was expected. Those tears had been seen before. But Peyton Manning was never much of one for unnecessary shows of emotion during his record-breaking NFL career. When it came time for the quarterback to bring down the curtain on a career in which he won two Super Bowls and was named MVP five times, he seemed likely to hold it together. But no. He began to read his prepared speech in a quivering voice, and soon the tears came.

Marion Jones

Some of American's biggest sporting names were ensnared in the BALCO doping scandal, including baseball players Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, and NFL star Bill Romanowski. Three-time Olympic track champion Marion Jones for years denied any wrongdoing, but in October 2007 she finally came clean and admitted lying to federal investigators about her use of performance-enhancing drugs. After she entered two guilty pleas in court, Jones delivered a memorable and emotional speech to reporters on the steps of the court house. "I want you to know that I have been dishonest," she said, struggling to get some of the words out. "You have the right to be angry with me. I have let them down, I have let my country down and I have let myself down."

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