Former midfielder of Barcelona and the Spanish national team, Andres Iniesta, has officially announced his retirement at the age of 40. He made the decision in a video posted on his social media channels.
The video is captioned "the game will continue", with Iniesta's emotional image talking about the meaning of football to him, before receiving compliments from some famous names such as Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal and Luis Enrique.
Iniesta has recently played for Emirates club in the UAE Pro League, where he has the option to extend his contract until 2025, but it seems he has decided to end his career.
Iniesta is best known for his decisive goal in the 2010 World Cup final, when Spain beat the Netherlands for the first and only time so far to lift the gold cup.
He has made nearly 900 club appearances in his spells with Barca, Vissel Kobe (Japan) and the Emirates.
After joining Barca's academy at the age of 12 in 1996, initially living at La Masia, Iniesta made 54 appearances for the club's B team before breaking into the first team in 2002.
In a memorable era for the club, playing alongside the likes of Carles Puyol, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi, Iniesta has contributed to forming the backbone of a team that has won many Champions League and La Liga titles.
He left Barca in 2018 to play nearly 700 times for the Catalan club, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions League titles among 32 with the team.
At international level, he has won 131 caps for Spain and is a key member of La Roja that won two consecutive European championships and the World Cup between 2008 and 2012.
After leaving Barça and retiring from international football, Iniesta spent five years in Japan with Vissel Kobe, winning the J1 League in 2023, before ending his career at the Emirates.
After retiring, Iniesta - 40 years old, plans to become a coach, starting with youth training and developing skills for young players.
