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Former Barcelona midfielder and Spain legend, Andres Iniesta on Monday, October 8 announced retirement from professional football, aged 40. The football legend, who earlier this month teased his retirement in a social media, finally took to the social handles to confirm this news in a video post.
Andres Iniesta shared an emotional video, captioning “the game will go on”, as he put an end to his more than two-decade long career. The 40-year-old in the two minute, 20 seconds long video, had prominent faces on the football field, including Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and others explain what football meant to him and paid tribute to Iniesta.
Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola and others celebrate Iniesta’s football in retirement video
When asked what the game means to Iniesta, Luis Enrique, the former Spanish football manager and the coach of the club, Paris Saint-Germain said, “It reflects what we felt when we were kids on the street. When your mother called you, after dark when you no longer see the ball. Come here! Come here! That’s Andres Iniesta. He’s 40 years old and still unsure 'Should I keep playing, or not?'"
“He’s one of the few footballers, at least in my memory, who has been a teacher before being a student. He knew everything already,” he further added. Furthermore, Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, who also featured in the video hailed Iniesta as one of the key talents of an era. “Having one of the most important talents that was Andres, at that moment. We had just one point of six, and we were almost on relegation when a player like Andres tells you that you are on the right path. People are happy. Everything will be fine, it will be fine. WOW! It gave me the boost of energy to keep going. I will always be grateful, very much so,” he said.
Watch the emotional Andres Iniesta retirement video here:
The 40-year-old footballer was famously known for scoring the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, guiding Spain to their first-ever victory. In his two-decade long career, Iniesta made almost 900 appearances across spells with Barcelona, Vissel Kobe and Emirates. While he joined FC Barcelona’s academy at the age of 12 in 1996, he made 54 appearances for the club’s B team before making it into the senior side in 2002.
He played alongside the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, helping the team in its Champions League and La Liga titles. He made an exit for Barca in 2018, making 700 appearances and winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues. He then went onto play for five years with Japan’s Vissel Kobe, winning the J1 League in 2023.
He most recently played for UAE Pro League club, Emirates, with whom he called down curtains to his professional career despite being offered an extension until 2025. At international level while playing for Spain, he won 131 caps and was a key member of the La Roja side between 2008 and 2012.
