October 9 2024
By Daewon Kang
With the official announcement, Andres Iniesta retired. On October eighth (Korean time), Iniesta conducted a retirement ceremony in Barcelona, Spain.
Iniesta stated, "I never imagined that the day would come when I would retire," in this location.
I decided to retire and spend the next few days crying. I was sad, but I refrained from tears. He remarked, "It was a tear of pride." and "Barcelona changed me," as well. It strengthened my morals. I am appreciative of everyone who has impacted my life." Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi wrote on his social media, "Iniesta was a soccer player like a wizard." We had a great time running together. He will be missed by all of us. "Iniesta was an incredible player," he wrote in his note.
In just 22 years, he played in Barcelona. Playing with Barcelona since he was a young boy, Iniesta oversaw the team's glory days alongside players like Messi and Sabi Hernandez. Including his youth, he was Barcelona's main force from 1996 until 2018.
Iniesta, who left Barcelona in 2018, moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan. Last season, he wore the Emirates League Emirates uniform, and this season he decided to retire without playing against his team.