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Andres Iniesta on his rise to becoming an all-time great
- Story by
- Andres Iniesta on his rise to becoming an all-time great
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Andres Iniesta celebrates Spain's 201 World Cup win. | Credit: Getty Images
Leaving my family at 12 years old was one of the hardest things I've ever experienced. Above all, I felt fear. I was moving from my hometown, Fuentealbilla, not far from Valencia, and I was going to be alone in Barcelona. I was joining La Masia, but my first night there was tough for everyone, including my family. I couldn't stop crying, and my father wanted to come and take me back home. Luckily, my mother changed his mind. We had to give it a try. I never thought about having to return to Fuentealbilla if I didn't make it, nor did I obsess over how far I might go in football. What kept running through my mind was that I was at one of the best clubs in the world – I had to fulfil my dream of becoming a footballer.
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I owe so much to my father – his advice, everything. He was my inspiration, and the one who pushed me to go to Barcelona in the first place. My essence as a footballer aligned with Barcelona's style of play, so it was relatively easy to adapt when I started training at La Masia. I had to develop and perfect the concepts, but having the ball, positional play, working as a unit, that was the style I'd always had as a child in Albacete's junior categories.
At Barcelona, I grew and gained experience – when I reached the youth team, that's when I felt that the dream to become a footballer truly became mine. That's when I thought, 'This is serious now'. When I started playing for Barcelona B, I was one of those 17-year-old guys I used to look up to with excitement when I arrived at 12. That's when I realised that it could be my time, but I always approached it with the intention of enjoying it – training with Rivaldo , Pep Guardiola, Phillip Cocu, Xavi and Carles Puyol, when I got the chance to join in with the first-team squad.
Michael Laudrup was my first big idol. I used to watch him closely and try to learn from his movements and elegance. I was also fascinated by Guardiola , not because he came from La Masia, but because of how he played. As a midfielder, I saw his vision of the game, how he positioned himself on the field, how he thought ahead of everyone else.
My connection with Xavi grew organically, without forcing anything. It grew over time, as we got more chances to play together. Maybe people forget now, but there was a time when it was said that we were incompatible. A lot was said, but we proved the opposite. We grew up with the same footballing philosophy and understood the game in the same way. When I was in the youth academy, Xavi had already heard about me, as he's four years older than me. When I joined the first team, things gradually clicked until we eventually understood each other with just a glance.
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The first time I joined up with the first team was special. I remember it with great emotion.
Carles Naval, Barça's legendary team delegate, called La Masia to tell me that the manager Llorenc Serra Ferrer wanted me to start training with them. I didn't know what to do at that moment. I was trembling all over. I went days without speaking. I'd spent years looking at Camp Nou from the window of La Masia. Now I was close to making my debut.
After that, Louis van Gaal returned for a second spell as Barça's coach. He was brave during a delicate time in Barça's history. I remember we had a Under 19 European Championship with Spain, and he told me that he wanted me to start training permanently with the team during pre-season.
A year later, Ronaldinho arrived. He was different, groundbreaking – it was magical to watch him play, not just in matches, but also in training. He had spectacular physical power and technical quality far beyond any other player. He arrived at a challenging time for the club and brought back the fans' hope and smiles. There's a clear before and after in Barça's modern history thanks to Ronaldinho.
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We won La Liga after six years, then the Champions League in 2006, although I have bittersweet memories of that final against Arsenal in Paris. The priority was to win the Champions League, but being on the bench hurt that night because, in my view, it wasn't fair – even if in football, the sense of fairness is very subjective.
When I found out that I wouldn't be starting though, I didn't let it bring me down. That's never been my mentality. At that moment, all I thought about was being ready when Frank Rijkaard decided to bring me on, and to help win the trophy, which I did, when we came from a goal down to win.
We laid the foundations for a successful Barça. Ronaldinho paved the way for another genius: Messi . I cherish the small details of playing with him, the routine that never really felt like a routine, partly because of the way Leo surprised you every day. Training with him was incredible. We experienced amazing times on the pitch and many titles together, but I'll always remember countless days at the training ground doing drills with incredible speed and precision. Tac, tac, tac. It was astonishing, and I feel privileged to have shared so many years with him.
Inesta made more than 650 appearances for Barcelona
In 2008, Guardiola became manager. From the very beginning, I had a feeling it was going to be a complete success. Personally, it was incredible to know that Guardiola was going to take charge of the team. Internally, I felt an immense sense of commitment and conviction, an indescribable motivation. Anyone who's had the chance to work alongside one of their idols will understand me.
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It was a great opportunity, and we realised it quickly. Pep was more than ready, and he conveyed that to the group during the first pre-season we had in Scotland. It was the conviction he had when explaining how he wanted us to play. He had everything planned out – from the defence, the positioning of the midfielders, to what the forwards had to do. You could see progress after just a few training sessions. The group executed Guardiola's vision perfectly.
There was a lot of noise and doubt from the outside though, after we lost the first league game of the season to Numancia, then drew with Racing Santander at Camp Nou . One day, spontaneously, I decided to go to his office to reassure him. "Pep, don't worry, everything will be fine," I told him.
It wasn't premeditated or discussed with the other captains. Maybe I decided to visit Guardiola because of the individual commitment I felt. I was convinced that great work was being done – we could sense it day by day and in the friendlies we played. We felt comfortable with that idea and were happy. What I conveyed to him was how the group felt. We were doing things right, and the momentum would change.
Guardiola became Iniesta's manager at Barcelona in 2008
We won everything that season. But to win that Champions League final in Rome, we first had to get past Chelsea in the semi-finals. The second leg at Stamford Bridge will stay with me forever. Have I ever thought about what would have happened if I hadn't scored in the 93rd minute? Never, just in case!
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My shot was instinctive because I didn't really have time to think about the execution. The ball came to me perfectly, and I knew roughly how I wanted to strike it. Luckily, it went to the one spot where Petr Cech couldn't reach it, which was almost miraculous, considering he was as big as the goal itself. That ball was pushed in by all of us.
Winning that Champions League felt much better than three years earlier, even though I played injured in that final against Manchester United. I couldn't shoot because of the risk of tearing a muscle, but internally I told myself: "I can't miss this final after the one in Paris." It turned out incredibly, although I paid the price afterwards with several muscle injuries.
A year before that, I'd also become a European champion with Spain. With the national team too, we had immense confidence in a specific playing style, and players who represented it perfectly. I credit the coach Luis Aragones for that. My best memory is when Iker Casillas lifted the European Championship trophy. So many generations had tried, and we managed to do it.
From the outside, a footballer's life may seem perfect, particularly when you're winning so many trophies. But we also have our worries. We're human beings, too. I picked up several injuries after winning the Champions League final in Rome, and my great childhood friend Dani Jarque passed away. All of that made me hit rock bottom, but I tried not to give up, and I had the ability and humility to ask for professional help. I accepted that, at that moment, I was being consumed, that I needed other tools to get back on my feet. If I hadn't done that, I imagine that my career would have been different. My family was also a great support.
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At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, we lost our opening match. Afterwards, the message wasn't exactly just 'stay calm', because when you lose your first game at a World Cup, the rest of the group stage is played under pressure. But we felt we'd played well against Switzerland. If we'd played that game 10 times, we would have won nine, so all we could do was keep trying, not doubt ourselves, and trust that we had the team to move forward. That's what happened, and we progressed all the way to the final.
It was a tough and uncomfortable final. Rarely do those kinds of matches turn out to be open and entertaining. The Netherlands changed their style of play because of the opponent they were facing. They played aggressively, they showed us a lot of respect. The match was intense.
Then in extra time, I scored the winner. It's hard to put that feeling into words. The ball came to me from Cesc Fabregas, I controlled it, and time stopped. It was like a slow-motion action. I heard silence. Why? I don't know. I suppose the experience and responsibility from so many years at the elite level taught me to face high-pressure situations like that more calmly. Maybe someone else wouldn't have even controlled the ball. That was the moment for Spain's history to change with that World Cup.
During that era of Spanish football, maybe one of us could have won the Ballon d'Or , but it's not something I dwell on. Whoever wins it deserves to, especially if it was Messi. I've had the chance to attend many of those ceremonies, and of course, anyone would love to win it, but it's not something that bothers me at all. The image of Xavi, Messi and me – three guys from La Masia – on the podium in 2010 was bigger than winning it. That was the real prize.
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In 2011, we won another Champions League together, this time at Wembley, against Manchester United again. Wembley is a sacred place for Barcelona fans – it was where the club became European champions for the first time, in 1992.
Barcelona celebrate their 2011 Champions League final win over Manchester United at Wembley
Facing Manchester United gave even more weight to that final. I remember preparing for it in great detail. We'd just won La Liga, and had two weeks to focus on that night. We travelled to England earlier than usual. We knew how Manchester United played, how to exploit their weaknesses and we had everything memorised. We went into half-time drawing 1-1, but we felt completely in control. We were dominating, and everything was unfolding as we wanted. It was perfect, and eventually we won 3-1.
We won a lot during that era under Guardiola, even though in life you lose more than you win. In fact, I don't even remember exactly how many titles we lifted. Looking back now, I realise how much effort it all took. Behind it all was a group of players with hunger and excitement, whose every victory motivated us to stay at the top. Maybe back then we didn't value a Spanish Super Cup or a Copa del Rey as much as we should have done, but you have to celebrate and savour everything. It all matters. Fans eagerly awaited our matches to see us play, and that says it all.
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Despite the exceptional and privileged life of being a professional footballer and playing for Barça though, I never felt different from others – or at least, I tried to live my life that way. From the outside, it might seem difficult to understand, but for me, it wasn't hard to remain Andres. The closer you stay to the reality around you, the better. I know we're sometimes seen as unapproachable, but I've always tried to be a normal person.
If you're at Barça, there's no better place to be. Since leaving my hometown of Fuentealbilla, I was convinced that it was the club where I wanted to stay. It became my home. My goal was always to succeed there and stay as long as possible, so in that sense, I was never tempted by the Premier League.
Early in my career, I'm told there was some talk about Rangers trying to sign me on loan, but I don't remember it clearly. I'm not sure if they ever directly contacted my father or my agent. In any case, what I can say is that I never seriously considered leaving the club. Not at the beginning, nor later. I always had confidence that I would succeed at Barça and never entertained the idea of going on loan. I told myself, 'Even if I don't play much, I'm convinced I'll end up playing'. A few minutes at Barça were worth more than anywhere else.
Iniesta joined Vissel Kobe in 2018 | Credit: Alamy
I would have liked to retire at Barça, but I had to make other decisions, and I think I did so at the right time, when I signed for Vissel Kobe in 2018. My last final for Barça, the Copa del Rey final against Sevilla, was unforgettable. I felt like I was flying on the pitch, everything just flowed, and I could end that wonderful chapter with a goal I'll never forget. We won 5-0 – it was unbelievable!
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Leaving wasn't easy, but the club demands 300 per cent, and I couldn't give that any more. Could I have stayed another year? Maybe, but I left with the memory of Iniesta as a Barça player in an incredible moment.
A few months ago, I announced my retirement at the age of 40, after a year playing for Emirates Club in the UAE Pro League. Which word defines how I feel about my career? Pride, in having worked hard until the very last training session. The rest is history: titles, defeats, good moments and bad ones. But what stands out to me is never giving up. I would have played until I was 90, but I'm happy to have fulfilled the dream of becoming a footballer.
I have peace of mind.
For now, I plan to definitely stay in Dubai for 2025, then we'll see. There's family logistics to consider, like our children's education, so we'll try to manage it all. I'm also working on projects that allow me to keep learning. I don't have time to get bored, even though everything is different. I still have the passion and enthusiasm to do what I do with commitment and dedication.
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I'm doing a bit of everything – this is a new chapter of my life where I want to grow and explore different things. I have several businesses, like my agency Never Say Never (NSN) or Mikakus Barcelona, a sneaker company. I'm pursuing new interests with my team and we've invested in an exciting project at the Danish club Helsingor. I'll try to absorb as much knowledge as possible over the coming months. I'm also enthusiastic about studying for my coaching licence in the future. Coaching motivates me a lot.
I know that many people expect me to coach Barça one day, but right now, I'm not thinking about that. For me, that's a huge responsibility, especially since I'm just starting out. Of course it's my home though, and hopefully one day I'll return – we'll see in what capacity and when. It would be beautiful. Guardiola, Xavi, and then Iniesta? Sounds good…
