ANDRES INIESTA is set to retire from professional football, according to reports.
The legendary midfielder has been without a club since July after his contract expired at UAE side Emirates Club.
And the 40-year-old will announce he is hanging up his boots on October 8, according to Relevo.
It comes after Iniesta teased his future endeavours on his Instagram page.
The Spaniard, who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands, posted a video to his social media of him painting onto a mural of himself.
He captioned the post: “COMING SOON. 8, 10, 24,” a date synonymous with his shirt number.
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Iniesta’s incredible career stretches over 22 years, having made his pro debut with Barcelona in 2002.
He went on to appear in 674 games for the Blaugrana, scoring 57 goals and adding 135 assists.
His exploits for the Catalan giants saw him land 37 trophies – the second most in the club’s history behind only Lionel Messi’s haul of 35 – including nine La Liga, four Champions League and three Club World Cup titles.
Playing alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets, Iniesta is also considered to have been part of arguably the greatest midfield trio football has ever seen.
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Iniesta would eventually leave the club in 2018 to join Japan’s Vissel Kobe on a free transfer.
He would go on to spend five years in the J-League, winning the league, Japanese Cup and Japanese Super Cup.
Emirates Club, whom he joined in 2023, would prove to be his final team as he made 23 appearances for them, scoring five goals and adding one assist.
On the international stage Iniesta earned 131 caps for Spain, scoring 14 goals – including the decisive winner in the 2010 World Cup final.
Iniesta also won the European Championship twice at senior level, as well at Under-16 and Under-19 level.
His individual accolades were nothing to sneer at either, being named as Uefa’s Best Player in Europe in 2012, the Player of the Tournament at Euro 2012 and La Liga’s Best Midfielder on no less than five occasions.
Away from the pitch, he has also been honoured with Prince of Asturias Awards, the Gold Medal of the Royal Order of Sporting Merit, the Queen Sofia Award and the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit.
Reacting to Iniesta’s social media post seemingly confirming his retirement, one fan said: “This man retiring without winning the Ballon d’or is a crime.”
A second said: “Good luck legend.”
A third added: “Legend.”
Another said: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR FOOTBALL.”
Speaking back in July, Iniesta suggested he would be open to returning to Barcelona.
He said: “I would like to go back to Barca at some point. But obviously, I still don’t know when or how; it’s something nobody knows.
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“We’ll see how it all goes. I want to continue playing until I feel that the moment has come to stop.”
Given the mural in Iniesta’s Instagram video is one of him in a Barcelona shirt, there is a chance his announcement on October 8 will see him return to his former club in some capacity.
Andres Iniesta’s incredible career
Honours
Barcelona:
La Liga x9, Champions League x4, Copa del Rey x6, Spanish Supercup x5, Uefa Super Cup x2, Club World Cup x3
Vissel Kobe:
J-League, Emperor’s Cup, Japanese Super Cup
International:
World Cup – 2010, European Championship – 2008 and 2012
Stats:
Barcelona (2002 – 2018) – 674 appearances, 57 goals
Vissel Kobe (2018 – 2023) – 134 appearances, 26 goals
Emirates Club (2023 – 2024) – 23 appearances, 5 goals
Spain (2006 – 2018) – 131 appearances, 13 goals
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
