On Tuesday, 8 October, Andrés Iniesta – one of the greatest midfielders of all time – announced he was retiring from professional football.
It doesn’t come as a surprise – Iniesta is now 40 and has spent the last six years playing in Japan and then the United Arab Emirates after leaving his beloved FC Barcelona in 2018. Plus, he “teased” his retirement on Instagram a week before the fact. But that doesn’t make it any less momentous – or sad.
Iniesta joined Barcelona’s academy, La Masia, at age 12 and his generational talent quickly became clear: watching him play at just 15 years old, Pep Guardiola famously told his teammate Xavi “you will retire me, but this kid will retire us both.” A preternatural playmaker with masterful footwork, Iniesta debuted for Barcelona at 18, and went on to become an icon of a golden age of football for both club and country.
Iniesta contributed some truly incredible memories to the game. His 93rd minute strike from the edge of the box at Stamford Bridge that secured Barcelona a spot in the 2009 Champions League final springs to mind. Or, perhaps most famously, his 116th minute goal in the 2010 World Cup Final, that clinched Spain their first ever trophy in the tournament. Iniesta always stepped up in the games that mattered – but his contribution to football goes beyond snapshot moments. Iniesta showed us style, elegance, and how to expertly control a game from the midfield.
Now, he’ll join former teammates like Pique, Puyol and, of course, Xavi in hanging up his boots. Will he follow in the footsteps of his midfield partner and head into coaching? Time will tell. But with his superhuman eye for the inner workings of a game of football, there’s no doubt he would be successful.
Iniesta’s legacy is already cemented. He is beloved by Spaniards and by Culers for his decades of service (in probably the best midfield trio ever, with Xavi and Busquets), and with over thirty five trophies from his glittering career, he’s the most decorated Spanish footballer ever. Beyond silverware, he has been inspiring younger generations of players for years. Take Barcelona’s Pedri, who has often expressed his admiration of Iniesta, and whose style and ability to position himself on the field has won comparisons to his midfield predecessor.
But we will never get another Iniesta. He is a player who is universally loved, undeniably gifted and played a crucial part in not one but two legendary football sides for Barcelona and Spain. Surely anyone who loves football will be sad to see him go.
“Andrés Iniesta (cropped)” by Кирилл Венедиктов is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.