Legendary Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta retires at the age of 40

Legendary Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta of Spain and Barcelona, who is recognized as one of the best players of all time, has announced his retirement from the game at the age of forty.

Iniesta, who is recognized as one of the best players of all time, has 131 caps for his nation and scored the game-winning goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final.

Having played in Spain for the majority of his career, Iniesta also won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with Barcelona, where he also built a formidable midfield pairing with his compatriots Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernandez.

READ ALSO: Ousmane Dembélé expected to return to PSG group after apologising to Luiz Enrique

In his retirement message, Iniesta said that he never thought of the day he would hang his boots but as a boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, he had the dream of being a footballer.

“I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it,” he said.

“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.”