BARCELONA: Former Bar­ce­lona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

“Please allow me to be a little emotional today,” a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.

“I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. 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. I feel very proud of this path, with all the people who have accompanied me.”

The technically-gifted Iniesta made 131 appearances for Spain, scoring the only goal of the 2010 World Cup final with a last-gasp strike to earn his country victory over the Netherlands as they lifted the global title for the first time.

Iniesta ripped off his shirt in celebration, revealing a handwritten tribute on his vest to the late Dani Jarque, Espanyol’s captain and a close friend of his, who died of a heart attack aged just 26 in August 2009.

He also played a key role in Spain winning the 2008 European Championship to snap a 44-year trophy drought and was named player of the tournament when they successfully defended the title in 2012.

Born in the tiny village of Fuentealbilla, less than an hour’s drive Southeast from capital Madrid, Iniesta joined Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy at 12 years old and made 674 appearances for the Spanish side, captaining them for three seasons.

A year before becoming Spain’s World Cup final hero, Iniesta worked his magic in a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

His brilliant shot deep in added time secured Barca a place in the final and they went on to lift the trophy, Pep Guardiola’s first European Cup triumph as a coach.

Iniesta won nine La Liga titles with Barca, four Champions League titles, six Copa del Rey crowns, two UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups, many of them alongside Xavi Hernandez, a rival for the accolade of being described as the best Spanish footballer of all time.

“One of the most magical team-mates and one of those who I most enjoyed playing together, Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you and so will we! I wish you all the best, you are a phenomenon,” former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi wrote on social media.

It was not a trouble-free ride to the top for Iniesta, born in the province of Albacete, who had to battle homesickness after joining La Masia around 500 kilometres away. He cried daily and wrote in his book “The Artist” that he felt “abandoned”.

Iniesta battled demons with the help of psychologists after Jarque’s death and some troubling injuries, admitting he had “lost the will to live”.

Runner-up for the 2010 Ballon d’Or behind Messi, Iniesta called time on his magnificent spells with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 and moved to Japan to play for Vissel Kobe.

The playmaker won the J1 League in 2023 as well as two other trophies, before spending last season at Emirates in the UAE.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2024