Former Barcelona midfielder, Andres Iniesta, who won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with Spain, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday at the age of 40.
Iniesta is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in history, thanks in part to the midfield partnerships he formed with Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets for Spain and Barcelona.
He came up through Barcelona’s academy, La Masia and made his first-team debut aged 18, becoming a mainstay in the midfield before his departure 16 years later after 674 appearances.
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He won nine La Liga titles and the Champions League four times with Barcelona, also lifting six Copas del Rey in a haul of 32 trophies during his time at Camp Nou.
Speaking at an event in Barcelona, a visibly emotional Iniesta said he planned to go into coaching.
He said: “Being on the pitch is over,” he said. “I can’t stay away from football, it’s my life and will continue to be my life.
“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.”
In 2018 Iniesta joined Japanese side Vissel Kobe before moving to the United Arab Emirates in 2023 to play for UAE Pro League side Emirates.
He was runner-up in the 2010 Ballon d’Or and included in the Fifa Fifpro World 11 for nine successive years between 2009 and 2017.
