Andres Iniesta Announces Retirement: Soccer Loses One of Its Greatest Wizards

Soccer, the most popular sport on the planet, has seen its fair share of world-class players over the years. They have won the shiniest of trophies and left their mark in the biggest matches, delivering performances worthy of becoming core memories. But only a handful have delivered unadulterated joy, invoked the love for soccer even in non-followers. Andres Iniesta belonged to that rare category of wizards who did not play the sport but lived it.

On Monday, October 7, the Barcelona and Spain icon took to social media to all but confirm his imminent retirement from soccer at the age of 40. In that video, some of the most prominent coaches in world soccer, including Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal, Vicente del Bosque, and Luis Enrique, spoke highly of Iniesta, about his ability as a player. Iniesta, emotional, struggled to put his thoughts into words. The caption “The game will go on” and a date, October 8, 2024, accompanied the video. Iniesta, who last played for UAE Pro League club Emirates, will announce his retirement and future plans at an event in Barcelona on October 8.

Andres Iniesta Was One of a Kind

Iniesta is one of the most accomplished players the game has ever seen. He has scored some historic goals, including the winner for Spain in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, and provided jaw-dropping assists on cue. However, his greatness extends far beyond stats and figures. He was the definition of effortless — the embodiment of silky-smooth.

Iniesta read spaces better than every other player and possessed the ability to exploit it. He would either play a perfectly weighted through ball into the area or glide past defenders to attack it. Iniesta was never one to chase after goals but he frequently found himself on the scoresheet, especially in tricky games.

He formed an unshakable partnership with Lionel Messi and Xavi, with the trio going on to win every major trophy in club soccer, making the game look ridiculously easy. Iniesta maintains his friendship with Messi and Xavi to this day and unsurprisingly received a special shoutout from the Argentinian after posting his retirement video.

In his Instagram Story, Messi wrote on October 8:

“One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most. The ball is going to miss you, and so will all of us. I wish you the best always, you’re a phenomenon.”

A Look at Iniesta’s Storied Career

Iniesta joined Barcelona’s legendary academy, La Masia, as a 12-year-old in 1996. He rose through the ranks at La Masia before making his senior team debut in 2002. Before leaving the Blaugrana for Vissel Kobe in 2018, Iniesta played 674 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring 57 times and providing 135 assists.

Iniesta spent five years at Japanese side Vissel Kobe, racking up 26 goals and 25 assists in 134 games. The two-time European Championship winner concluded his illustrious career at Emirates Club, scoring five goals and providing an assist for them in 23 matches across the 2023-24 season.

Iniesta was a phenomenon for Spain as well. The legendary central midfielder played 131 games, scoring 14 goals and providing 30 assists. He played a pivotal role as La Roja won two European Championships (2008, 2012) and their first FIFA World Cup in 2010.

Here is Iniesta’s comprehensive trophy haul:

• 2010 World Cup
• 2x EURO (2008, 2012)
• 4x Champions League (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015)
• 9x LaLiga (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018)
• 3x Club World Cup (2010, 2012, 2016)
• 3x Super Cup (2009, 2011, 2015)
• 6x Copa del Rey (2009, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
• 7x Supercopa de Espana (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016)
• 1x Japanese Champion (2023)
• 1x Japanese Cup (2019)
• 1x Japanese Super Cup (2020)

Soccer will dearly miss the Iniesta, the wizard, on the pitch. Hopefully, we will get to see Iniesta work his magic from the dugout in the coming years.