Andreas Iniesta: What is the secret of the continued presence of the Spanish star in football so far?

This is due to three factors: love, passion and enthusiasm.

That’s why I returned from a serious injury in 2020 to continue playing in Japan, and it’s the same reason why Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric are in Qatar, looking to win the World Cup at the same age.

Everyone who has been playing football all this time is looking for those basic feelings in their life.

There are different scenarios for each player as we get older, of course, but people may not realize that we all have this desire, a dream that drives us to do what we do.

We are lucky because we do what we love. Maybe the day I don’t feel excited when I see a full stadium, or happy to meet the fans and my teammates, is the day I shouldn’t play anymore and football is over.

I’m not ready for that day yet, neither are these other men.

The Spanish star went on to say that it will probably be the last World Cup for all of them, but then something else will come and everyone, myself included, wants to see how these players develop.

Some things have already changed in my life, this World Cup will be the first since 2002 that I will look at instead of trying to win it with Spain.

It will be very different this time, but I’m still happy.

It helps that I haven’t played for the national team in a while, I retired from international football after Russia 2018, so I’ve already gone from player to fan.

The World Cup is always amazing and I will enjoy this tournament in a different way, watching Spain with my friends, my family and my children, which I have never done before.

I love this Spanish national team and I know and appreciate coach Luis Enrique. I like what he’s suggesting and we have great players.

They have to find consistency, but if they find their rhythm I think Spain are the contender for the title.

The player continued his speech by saying: as a Spaniard, this is all I want and I have faith in this team.

One of the things I’ve learned in my life is to always live in the moment.

At the moment I am in good shape both physically, from a football point of view and also personally from a mental health point of view, but that has not always been the case.

And before the 2010 World Cup, I had a very difficult time with depression. The desire I talked about earlier was gone, there were times when I didn’t want to train or see my family or friends or do anything.

The World Cup really saved me, but the situation I was in really taught me a lot about how fragile the mind is.

This attitude has made me a better person, more self-confident and mentally more mature. All of this has been very useful in other situations in my life, not just on the football field.

I realized that you have to train your mind just like you train your body. It is always the same for me now, as I face difficult situations in everyday life.

I see that period of life as a real turning point for me and will use it as an example for other players or people in difficulty, to show why they should have hope.

There was a time when the months were dark after my friend Dani Jarque died in 2009, but it ended with a truly magical moment when I scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final.

This is what I would tell anyone who is suffering right now, the worst moment of your life can be followed by the most important moment of your life.

I learned how it takes strength to overcome difficult moments but also humility, we need to ask for help when it is needed, because individually we are weaker than when we are part of a team.

Having this help has allowed me to regain my desire, and with a positive mindset you can learn and overcome anything.

I fought but I had a very strong push, the engine of my life is football, and that engine pulled me in and allowed me to live one of the most important moments of my life.

This previous experience definitely helped me when I tore my rectus femoris while playing with Kobe.

For me, that moment of injury was a very difficult moment to accept. It was a moment of reckoning, I was 36 and didn’t know what was going to happen in the future.

From day one I only thought about recovering and going back to being a footballer, but I didn’t know if I could, or how long it would take.

It was a completely personal and usually private process for the players, but I wanted to honestly show in my film all the stages and emotions that I went through.

It is a sports documentary but it is also an educational film, people can watch the protocol I followed to get back in full shape and also all the work that was included.

I was lucky enough to fully recover physically, but if you watch it you will understand that this is not the only positive aspect of the film.

My mental health was also just as important at this time. I had my team, my family, people I trusted, with whom I could express my feelings.

There have been good days and bad days, but I’ve always had a positive mood, and it’s the same now.

I realize that I don’t have many years in football ahead of me, but I try to live in the present and enjoy it.

I will end my playing career on my terms and the future will come.