World Cup winner, legendary Barca midfielder Iniesta teases retirement
Andres Iniesta, who scored the goal that won Spain the World Cup in 2010, appeared to announce his retirement at 40 years old on Monday.
In a video posted on X, entitled "The Game Continues," the 40-year-old breaks down when he's asked what football means to him.
El Juego Continúa ❤️⚽️ 8️⃣🔟2️⃣4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/YLrDOfxVCB
— Andrés Iniesta (@andresiniesta8) October 7, 2024
Iniesta celebrated more than 30 titles during a legacy-making 16 seasons at Barcelona, where he formed one of the greatest-ever midfield trios alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets during the club's most successful era.
He left Barcelona at the end of the 2017-18 season and spent the following six years in Japan with Vissel Kobe before seemingly closing out his professional career in the United Arab Emirates.
Widely regarded as one of the game's greatest passers, Iniesta also scored in pivotal moments, as he did in the Champions League to eliminate Chelsea in May 2009 and later in extra time of the 2010 World Cup final. His 116th-minute goal against the Netherlands delivered Spain's first-ever World Cup, which came in-between back-to-back European Championships for La Roja.
Iniesta was also named player of the tournament at Euro 2012.
From a small town in the province of Albacete, Iniesta joined Barcelona's famous La Masia academy when he was 12 - just a few years before Lionel Messi arrived - and proceeded to build a dynasty that led to nine La Liga championships, six Copa del Rey titles, and four Champions League victories.
He earned the respect of his adversaries over the more than 900 matches he played competitively and was never once sent off for a red-card offense. Fans of rivals Espanyol famously gave Iniesta a standing ovation with Barcelona up 5-1 in the local Catalan derby in December 2010.
Iniesta never won the Ballon d'Or - he finished runner-up to Messi in 2010 and third in voting in 2012 - and received an official apology from the magazine that's presented the award since 1956.
"Forgive us, Andres," France Football director Pascal Ferre wrote in 2018. "For us, he wasn't just a player. He was the player. His sacrifices for the team ultimately deprived him of greater individual recognition.
"Of all the absences on the list of Ballon d'Or winners, his is particularly painful."