Andres Iniesta will announce the end of his career today, Tuesday. A few hours earlier, his long-time teammate Lionel Messi bid him farewell upon his retirement.
Together they played for FC Barcelona, dazzling opposing defenses, then they ventured out into the wide world of football. Andres Iniesta left the Catalans in 2018, Lionel Messi three years later.
But the memories of the time together are still fresh in the mind of the now 37-year-old Messi. “One of the teammates with the most magic and one of the ones I loved playing with the most,” the Argentine wrote on Instagram about a photo of the three of them together.
Messi, Iniesta and Xavi shaped Barcelona’s style for a long time, the famous “tiki taka”. Fast passing combinations that drove opponents to despair because they were almost impossible to stop. It was an era in which the Blaugrana dominated football. Iniesta & Co. won the Champions League four times and were Spanish champions nine times.
Iniesta and Xavi also left their mark on the Spanish national team. In 2008 and 2012, he was European champion with the Seleccion, and in the 2010 World Cup final, he scored the winning goal in extra time against the Netherlands.
Relegation in the Emirates
In 2018, Iniesta moved from Barcelona to Vissel Kobe in Japan after a tearful farewell. In August 2023, he took on a new challenge in the United Arab Emirates at Emirates Ras Al-Khaima, which, however, ended in relegation. His contract expired at the end of June.
“The ball will miss you, and we all will too. I wish you the best always, you’re a phenomenon,” said Messi, who is now ending his career with Inter Miami.
Tuesday will provide more information about what Iniesta is planning next. A two-minute video that he posted on social media on Monday ends with “El juego continua” (the game continues), along with the date 8.10.2024. Previously, long-standing companions such as Pep Guardiola and Louis van Gaal had paid tribute to Iniesta.