Andres Iniesta bids tearful goodbye as former Barcelona legend announces RETIREMENT
Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta announced his retirement from football at the age of 40, through a social media message.
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Former Barcelona star Andres Iniesta announced his retirement from football, through a social media message. (via Barca Blaugranes)
Ex-Barcelona star and Spanish legend Andres Iniesta recently announced his retirement from football, at the age of 40. The midfielder, through an emotional message on social media, brought an end to his three decades long association with football.
In his retirement video, Andres Iniesta emotionally stated what football means to him as well as his journey over the last three decades. It also featured tributes by a number of prominent football managers including Louis van Gaal, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique. He last played for UAE side Emirates, until his decision to retire, after making 23 appearances during the 2023-24 season. Prior to that, he spent six long seasons at Japanese League club, Vissel Kobe making 134 appearances.
The 40-year-old midfielder spent most of his career at Barcelona, making more than 650 appearances while scoring 57 goals and providing 135 assists. A talented Iniesta helped the club to nine La Liga titles, four UCL titles, six Copa Del Rey trophies, three UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. Apart from that, Iniesta won a number of individual accolades, including the La Liga best midfielder award four times, while also being named in the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year numerous times.
With the Spanish national team, he made 131 appearances, also leading the side to three major international titles including two European Champions and one FIFA World Cup. Iniesta sealed his legacy by scoring an unforgettable goal in the 2010 World Cup final, against the Netherlands.
Lionel Messi pays tribute to former Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta
Argentina skipper and former Barcelona star Lionel Messi paid a heartfelt tribute to former teammate Andres Iniesta on social media after the 40-year-old brought down the curtain on his wonderful career. Both Messi and Iniesta were hailed during the club’s dominant era in Europe.
The 37-year-old Inter Miami star identified Iniesta as a magician, while also going on to state that the Spaniard was the player with whom he enjoyed playing the most at Barcelona. Also labeling him as a phenomenon, Messi exclaimed that the entire footballing world would miss the retiring legend and wished him all the best for his future.
One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing together with the most. Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you. I wish you the best, always. You are a phenomenon.
Lionel Messi wrote on Instagram
Messi’s Instagram story for Iniesta. I’m not crying, you’re crying ? pic.twitter.com/oHMuyXKmxh
— R (@Lionel30i) October 8, 2024
Both Messi and Iniesta played 489 matches together, scoring 53 goals for Barcelona. It remains to be seen what lies ahead for the 40-year-old midfielder, with a return to Barcelona in the capacity of a young team manager among the cards.
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Siddhartha Roy
(716 Articles Published)