Andres Iniesta has confirmed that he will announce his retirement from professional football next week…
07.11.2012 Glasgow, Scotland. Victor Wanyama, Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Andres Iniesta in action during the Champions League game between Celtic and Barcelona from Celtic Park.
The legendary former Barcelona star and Spain international legend will officially hang up his boots on Tuesday, 8 October in reference to the number he wore on the back of his shirt throughout his remarkable trophy-laden career where he was always a superstar.
The 40-year-old left United Arab Emirates club Emirates last summer after five years in Japan with Vissel Kobe, where he mentored current Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi, helping him to earn the move to the Hoops in July 2021, and no doubt telling Kyogo all about the amazing Celtic Park atmosphere.
Kyogo Furuhashi and Andres Iniesta 8 of Vissel Kobe during the J.League J1 soccer match between Yokohama F. Marinos 2-3 Vissel Kobe at NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium on October 4, 2020 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Iniesta was never out of Barcelona News, winning a staggering 35 major honours between 2005 and 2023, including four Champions Leagues, one World Cup, two European Championships and nine La Liga titles.
Andres Iniesta also the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa – playing alongside Xavi and Sergio Busquets at Barcelona in what is widely regarded as the greatest international midfield trio of all time, all of whom complemented Argentine superstar Lionel Messi in attack at the Camp Nou.
Charlie Mulgrew and Victor Wanyama ochallenge Andres Iniesta during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Barcelona at Celtic Park on November 7, 2012 (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
He played at Celtic Park many times with Barcelona including that memorable occasion when an injury hit Celtic squad in November 2012 somehow managed to overcome all the considerable odds playing that wonderful Barcelona side at its absolute peak 2-1 with the Celtic goals coming from Victor Wanyama and Tony Watt. Messi scored late on to finally get the ball past Fraser Forester and into the Celtic net.
On another occasion, where Barcelona were more successful at Celtic Park, Andres Iniesta was substituted and spontaneously the entire stadium of 60,000 supporters, got to their feet to applaud a legendary footballer, a genius who always played the beautiful game so beautifully.
Andres Iniesta celebrates scoring his sides fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League match between FC Barcelona and Celtic at Camp Nou on September 13, 2016. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Iniesta came up against Celtic seven times during his illustrious 16-year spell at Barcelona and was on the winning side seven times, including a 7-0 rout of the Bhoys in 2016, and in that season Celtic were Invincible domestically winning the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and League Cup without losing a game.
Playing Barcelona, with Andres Iniesta starring, was something very different for the Hoops. We couldn’t take it too personally though, that Barcelona team were more than capable of doing that to any team.
Andres Iniesta holds off Scott Brown during the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and FC Barcelona at Celtic Park Stadium on October 1, 2013. (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Speaking about his own experiences playing against Celtic, Iniesta was full of praise for the Parkhead club. “I’ll never forget playing against Celtic, either. The atmosphere is one of the best in the world. I was fortunate to play there several times and it was always so intense. It was an honour to play amid such incredible noise.”
