Sports
Messi Sends Emotional Tribute, As Barcelona Star, Andrés Iniesta Retires
Messi and Iniesta were teammates during Barcelona’s four Champions League triumphs in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015. Iniesta also scored the iconic winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final for Spain and secured two European Championship titles with La Roja.
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Iniesta departed Camp Nou in 2018, spending five seasons with Japan’s Vissel Kobe before joining UAE’s Emirates Club last season. Although he netted five league goals, he couldn’t prevent the club’s relegation.
On Monday, Iniesta officially hung up his boots, prompting tributes from across the football world, with Messi’s heartfelt message underscoring the immense respect he holds for his former teammate.
“One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most,” Messi wrote on social media. “The ball is going to miss you, and so will all of us. I wish you the best always, you’re a phenomenon.”
Iniesta announced his retirement with an emotional video, which he captioned: ‘The game goes on’. It featured tributes from a number of former Barcelona managers, including Luis Enrique, Louis van Gaal and Pep Guardiola.
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“Do you know what it reflects to me?” said Luis Enrique, who played with Iniesta at Camp Nou before managing Barcelona. “It reflects what we felt when we were kids on the street, when your mother called you, after dark, when you could no longer see the ball, [shouting] ‘come here, come here’ – that’s Andres Iniesta.”
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