At forty, Spain’s World Cup winner Andres Iniesta has announced his retirement from competetive football.
Thanks in part to the midfield alliances he forged for Spain and Barcelona with Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta is recognized as one of the best players in history.
In addition to winning the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, he amassed 131 caps for his nation and scored the game-winning goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.
“I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it,” he said.
“Yes, 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 a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice, of never giving up, essential values in my life.”
After completing the La Masia academy at Barcelona, Iniesta played for the club for the most of his 22-year career.
He made his senior debut in 2002 and went on to win 29 honors, including nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues crowns.
Before coming to the United Arab Emirates in 2023 to play for UAE Pro League team Emirates, Iniesta signed a contract with Japanese team Vissel Kobe in 2018.
He finished second in the 2010 Ballon d’Or and was a member of the Fifa Fifpro World 11 for nine years running, from 2009 to 2017.
