Legendary former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta has confirmed his retirement from football aged 40. Iniesta, who scored the winning goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, establishing himself as a core part of Barcelona’s midfield alongside long-term running buddy Xavi. He became one of the world’s best players, owing to his supreme technical ability, and was rewarded for his talent with endless success at both club and international level. A four-time Champions League and nine-time La Liga winner with Barcelona, Iniesta won the 2008 and 2012 European Championship with Spain, sandwiched either side of an unforgettable 2010 World Cup campaign that saw him break Dutch hearts with a late extra-time winner. Many felt his displays at club and international level would lead to the 2010 Ballon d’Or, but Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi pipped both Iniesta and Xavi to the award – he also finished in third place two years later. Iniesta departed Barcelona in 2018 but continued his career in Japan with Vissel Kobe, staying there for five years before joining Emirates Club, based in the United Arab Emirates, for a season. In an emotional announcement confirming he is stepping away from the game, Iniesta said: “I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. All these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness. They are tears of that boy from Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of work, sacrifice… of never giving up, essential values in my life. “I feel very proud of this journey, with all the people who have accompanied me.” He continued: “I feel very happy to have achieved my dream. My sporting career has been like a fairy tale because I have experienced the best at a professional level. Let’s go through it. It starts on the track in my town, at school, and with all the trips to Albacete. My first steps were there. “I remember that stage as very happy. I remember watching Alba in the First Division. Although I never played professionally for Alba, I have always had two teams: Albacete and Barça. My land is in my heart.” “The journey of my life is Fuentealbilla-Barcelona. I am lucky to have the four people who made that trip with me. My parents, my grandfather and I. It is very nice that today we are together again at such a special moment. That journey involves everything: work, sacrifice, humility… La Masia changed me forever. It is the best place where I could be to enhance the values that must be had in life. And I am grateful to all the people, teachers, teammates… it is a stage that undoubtedly marked our lives. “Coming to Barca was a dream, which I focused on to fulfil. That effort, coming to Barcelona at 12 years old with everything that meant, could not divert my focus from what I had. I arrived at the best place to fulfill my dreams that lay ahead.”
