٠٠:٠٣:٠١Spain and Barcelona football legend Andres Iniesta announced his retirement at a gathering in Barcelona on Wednesday, following a decades-long career that saw him light up football's biggest stages.
"I never thought this day would come. I never really imagined it. But all these tears that we have shed during all these days, during today, are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness, they are tears of that boy, that boy from Fuentealbilla, who had a dream of becoming a footballer and achieved it," he stated as he reflected on his years as a professional athlete.
Born in 1984, Iniesta played in the Barcelona first team from 2002 to 2018, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions League titles with the Catalan club. The diminutive midfielder established himself as a key player for the Spain national team, lifting Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
In the 2010 World Cup final, Iniesta scored the winning goal against the Netherlands to help Spain win their first world title, scooping the player of the tournament award in the process. He was awarded the European Player of the Year award in 2012.
In 2018, he moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan's J1 League where he won three trophies before a final one-year stint at the Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates in 2023, after which he decided to hang up his boots.
Known as El Ilusionista (The Illusionist) in Spain for his unique balance, control and vision, Iniesta is considered one of the greatest players in football history and a symbol of FC Barcelona's collective game and golden generation in the late 2000s / early 2010s, alongside fellow greats Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi.
'I never thought this day would come' - 40-year-old football legend Andres Iniesta announces retirement following glittering career
Spain and Barcelona football legend Andres Iniesta announced his retirement at a gathering in Barcelona on Wednesday, following a decades-long career that saw him light up football's biggest stages.
"I never thought this day would come. I never really imagined it. But all these tears that we have shed during all these days, during today, are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness, they are tears of that boy, that boy from Fuentealbilla, who had a dream of becoming a footballer and achieved it," he stated as he reflected on his years as a professional athlete.
Born in 1984, Iniesta played in the Barcelona first team from 2002 to 2018, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions League titles with the Catalan club. The diminutive midfielder established himself as a key player for the Spain national team, lifting Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
In the 2010 World Cup final, Iniesta scored the winning goal against the Netherlands to help Spain win their first world title, scooping the player of the tournament award in the process. He was awarded the European Player of the Year award in 2012.
In 2018, he moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan's J1 League where he won three trophies before a final one-year stint at the Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates in 2023, after which he decided to hang up his boots.
Known as El Ilusionista (The Illusionist) in Spain for his unique balance, control and vision, Iniesta is considered one of the greatest players in football history and a symbol of FC Barcelona's collective game and golden generation in the late 2000s / early 2010s, alongside fellow greats Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi.
Spain and Barcelona football legend Andres Iniesta announced his retirement at a gathering in Barcelona on Wednesday, following a decades-long career that saw him light up football's biggest stages.
"I never thought this day would come. I never really imagined it. But all these tears that we have shed during all these days, during today, are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness, they are tears of that boy, that boy from Fuentealbilla, who had a dream of becoming a footballer and achieved it," he stated as he reflected on his years as a professional athlete.
Born in 1984, Iniesta played in the Barcelona first team from 2002 to 2018, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions League titles with the Catalan club. The diminutive midfielder established himself as a key player for the Spain national team, lifting Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.
In the 2010 World Cup final, Iniesta scored the winning goal against the Netherlands to help Spain win their first world title, scooping the player of the tournament award in the process. He was awarded the European Player of the Year award in 2012.
In 2018, he moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan's J1 League where he won three trophies before a final one-year stint at the Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates in 2023, after which he decided to hang up his boots.
Known as El Ilusionista (The Illusionist) in Spain for his unique balance, control and vision, Iniesta is considered one of the greatest players in football history and a symbol of FC Barcelona's collective game and golden generation in the late 2000s / early 2010s, alongside fellow greats Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi.