Iniesta officially said goodbye in an event attended by family, friends, former teammates and colleagues in which he reviewed his entire career.
BARCELONA — Andres Iniesta He is already past in his role as a footballer. This Tuesday he announced his withdrawal officially in a massive event held in Barcelona in which he was accompanied by many, many people. Family, friends, colleagues, former colleagues, journalists, fans… Nobody wanted to miss such a special celebration.
Not even those who could not attend forgot about him. There were heartfelt messages from Pep Guardiola, Van Gaal, Luis Enrique, Del Bosque, Serra Ferrer… All of this accompanying an event in which Iniesta reviewed his entire sporting life, from his beginnings in Fuentealbilla, his time at Albacete and his signing for Barça as a child. His rise in the club, his successes, “and the bad moments that have also happened”, his career and happiness in the Spanish team. Until the end.
Iniesta could not contain his tears when announcing his retirement EFE
Guardiola’s intervention was special, remembering his beginnings in 2008: “He gave me a boost of energy at the beginning, after losing against Numancia and drawing with Santander. He came to my office and told me to be calm, that we were doing the things things well, training well and playing well. ‘Don’t worry, Pep, this will turn out well,’ he told me.
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And also that of Luis Enrique, joking and direct as always. “I remember when they came to the first team, with coach, I had an enormous privilege.”
Lionel Messi He was also ‘present’ through a publication he made on his social networks and in which he had a fond and enormous memory for the man from Fuentealbilla, who was especially “proud of my career, but even more so for the teammates I had. and the joys and disappointments we went through.
“I wanted to be a footballer – and I more than fulfilled my dream. I am so happy that I can’t ask for anything more,” he stated, stating that for him, in all these years, “the most important thing was to make my people happy, to win the affection of people and enjoy. Almost more than the titles”.
“When I debuted with Barça. I’ve always said it,” he reflected clearly when referring to his most special moment. “That debut in Bruges and the day of my debut at the Camp Nou, a Three Kings Day against Recreativo de Huelva. There have been, fortunately, many happy days, with titles and joys, but those are special and remain forever.”
The Game Continues was called an act in which Iniesta made known his immediate intention to take the coaching course, although without revealing his future plans that involve, he stated, to “continue training myself… First in this course but without forgetting the past”.
A past in which, he said, Barça was, and is, special in an incomparably way. “Barça changed my life and has been everything to me” he explained between videos, before a brief, but intense, round of questions.
“I find it difficult to repeat an era like that because it was a wild one, of titles and games. It is always difficult to compare eras, it can happen and it can be overcome, but I do think that it is in a certain way unrepeatable” he warned when remembering his four years under the direction of Guardiola at Barça.
He also responded, with pleasure but clarity, to Ivan Rakitic, who a few days ago stated that Barça let itself go after the 2015 Champions League and did not win more titles because of it. “Everyone can put whatever adjectives they think, but I always take it to a question of football, not of attitudes or letting go because any professional wants to win. We at least, and me especially,” he resolved, without getting into controversy.
Nor did he when he was asked to choose the goal of his life. Stamford Bridge or South Africa? “No, I can’t stay with one. And I’m not saying it to look good. I’m lucky that one was with Barça and the other with the national team. And I carry them inside,” he maintained.
The first went down in history as the ‘Iniestazo’, the goal against Chelsea that gave Barcelona a ticket to the Champions League final in 2009. The second was the one that gave Spain the title against Holland in the 2010 World Cup Final.
The successes, the titles, everything… Unforgettable. And no buts. Not a shame for not winning the Ballon d’Or, because, in fact, Iniesta felt like a winner at the time: “The image of Leo, Xavi and I on the Ballon d’Or podium is the maximum prize of that day, of that moment. Three guys from the house… I think it’s even more than who won it,” he said, earning another unanimous ovation.
Saying goodbye with the greatness that accompanied him throughout his career.
