Andres Iniesta, one of the architects of Spain’s tiki-taka playing style, announced his retirement from football earlier this week, prompting scores of tributes from his former teammates, foes and coaches.
Through a video on X, Iniesta said he “never imagined” the day would come when he’d be walking away from his first love, and that all the tears he shed were “of pride, not sadness.” The iconic midfielder added that his story — of a boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla becoming a legend —was a testament to years of hard work, sacrifice and “never giving up essential values” of life.
Lionel Messi — who won four Champions League titles and nine La Liga titles with Iniesta at Barcelona — took to social media to pay tribute to his former teammate.
“One of the teammates with the most magic and one of the ones I enjoyed playing with the most. Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you and so will all of us. I wish you the best, always. You are a phenomenon,” Messi wrote.
English icon Paul Scholes — whose Manchester United lost to Iniesta’s Barcelona in two Champions League finals in 2009 and 2011 — sarcastically wrote that he wished Iniesta “shared the ball a bit more” instead of picking apart his team’s defensive formations with his wizardry.
Pep Guardiola recalled an anecdote from 2008 when the Catalans lost to Numancia and were not on the level of reigning La Liga winners Real Madrid. At the time, there were murmurs about Barca firing Guardiola from the job after just one season as manager. All that changed after Iniesta’s locker room pep talk.
“I thought, ‘Wow,'” Guardiola said recalling Iniesta’s pep talk. “It gave me a huge boost of energy to keep going. I will always be grateful to him for that, because I felt like what he said was from his heart, not jut to please me. And that helped not just me, but [assistant coach] Tito [Vilanova] and everyone who was with us.”
Iniesta’s greatness transcended sports, as evidenced by basketball legend Pau Gasol’s message.
“You have left an indelible mark on all of us, not only for your talent but for the person you are. With humility and respect, always. I wish you the best in this new stage, my friend,” wrote the ex-Laker.
Plenty of other soccer stars chimed in as well.
“Day to celebrate your career @andresiniesta8. We will miss your quality and elegance in the field…It was a pleasure playing with you! Hope to see you soon bro,” Brazilian great Ronaldinho wrote.
“Be proud of everything you gave to football, Andriu! I had the privilege of having played with one of the best midfielders in history! Football will miss you CRACK! Good luck for everything to come,” Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez, who played with Iniesta during his final years in Barcelona, wrote.
Teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal, who helped Spain capture the 2024 Euro title, spoke of the role Iniesta played in him falling in love with the sport.
“Honestly, I don’t remember anything from the 2010 World Cup, but I remember going to Camp Nou and seeing Iniesta play alongside Messi and Neymar. He made everything look easy. Football will miss him a lot,” Yamal wrote.
Iniesta, 40, retires as the only player in history to win the Man of the Match in the finals of the FIFA World Cup, Champions League and Euros. He played a vital role in Spain’s golden era between 2008 and 2012, which included two Euro titles and the country’s only World Cup win in 2010.