And it was Iniesta (40 years old), the beating heart of Spain’s midfield And Barcelona During a period of continuous success for both teams between the late first decade and early second decade of the 21st century.
Iniesta, whose Emirates Club in the UAE Professional League was the last team to wear his shirt, said amidst tears during a press conference, “Let me be a little emotional today. I never expected this day to come, I never imagined it at all. Yes, these are the tears that I shed.” These days are tears of emotion and pride, not tears of sadness. “They are tears of a boy from a small town like Fuentealbia, who dreamed of being a football player and achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice and never giving up, which are key values in my life.”
He added: “I feel very proud of this path, along with all the people who accompanied me.”
The talented midfielder participated in 131 matches with SpainDuring which he scored the only goal in the final World Cup 2010, giving his country victory over the Netherlands and leading it to achieve its first title in the tournament.
He also played a major role in Spain’s victory in the 2008 European Championship, ending his country’s 44-year drought, and was chosen as the best player in the tournament when Spain successfully defended the title four years later.
Iniesta was born in the small village of Fuentealbia, less than an hour’s drive from the capital, Madrid. He joined Barcelona’s youth academy (La Masia) at the age of 12 and participated in 674 matches with the Catalan team, leading it for three seasons.
A year before becoming Spain’s champion in the World Cup final, Iniesta performed brilliantly in the semi-final UEFA Champions League against Chelsea English.
His stunning goal with a stunning volley in stoppage time ensured that Barcelona qualified for the final before winning the title, their first victory. Pep Guardiola In the Champions League as a coach.
Iniesta won In the Spanish League Nine times with Barcelona, four Champions League titles, the Spanish King’s Cup six times, the European Super Cup twice, and the Club World Cup three times, and most of these titles were alongside Xavi Hernandez, his competitor for the title of best Spanish player in history.
And he wrote Lionel Messi His former Barcelona teammate, who beat him to the 2010 Ballon d’Or race, said on social media: “One of my most charming teammates and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most, Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you and so will we! I wish you all the best, you are a phenomenon.”
Iniesta ended his wonderful career with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 and moved to Vissel Kobe, where he won three titles: the Japanese League, the Japanese Cup, and the Japanese Super Cup, before moving to the Emirates last year.
