‘I Have Achieved My Dream’- Iniesta Says After Announcing Retirement From Football
Former Barcelona captain, Andres Iniesta has announced his retirement from football at the age of 40.
Iniesta announced at an event in Barcelona on Tuesday after a successful career that spanned 22 years.
He is regarded as one of the greatest players to grace the football field, winning all that was available for club and country.
He played a major role in leading Spain to their only World Cup triumph in 2010 when he scored the only goal in the final against Holland.
He also won the 2012 European Championship trophy, making a total of 131 caps for the La Fura Roja.
The 40-year-old confirmed in a statement that his time on the pitch has come to an end after a successful career.
He said: “I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it.
“Yes, all these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride.
“They are not tears of sadness. They are tears of that boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice, of never giving up, essential values in my life.
“I feel very happy to have achieved my dream. My sporting career has been like a fairy tale because I have experienced the best at a professional level,”
Iniesta revealed that La Masia changed his life while expressing gratitude to all his former teammates, coaches and the people who contributed to his career.
He said, “La Masia changed me forever. It is the best place where I could be to enhance the values that must be had in life. And I am grateful to all the people, teachers, teammates… it is a stage that undoubtedly marked our lives.
“Coming to Barça was a dream, which I focused on to fulfil. That effort, coming to Barcelona at 12 years old with everything that meant, could not divert my focus from what I had. I arrived at the best place to fulfil my dreams that lay ahead.
“Having lived through the best times with our national team would not make sense without having lived through the best times with Barça. Those were the years when we had a great time.”
Iniesta made his senior debut for Barcelona in 2002 after graduating from the club’s academy, He won 29 trophies, including nine La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns.
‘I Have Achieved My Dream’- Iniesta Says After Announcing Retirement From Football is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
