Andrés Iniesta

Andrés Iniesta Luján (born 11 May 1984) is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for UAE Pro League club Emirates.

Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, he was lauded for his balance, ball control and agility in close spaces, combined with his skill, composure, and flair on the ball.

Iniesta has spent most of his career at Barcelona, where he played a major role in the club's success along with his midfield partners Xavi and Sergio Busquets.

Iniesta started his professional career through La Masia, the Barcelona youth academy, after an early migration from his birthplace, and impressed from an early age.

He captained the Barcelona Under-15 team to victory in the Nike Premier Cup of 1999, scoring the winning goal in the last minute of the final, and was named player of the tournament.

Just after Iniesta arrived at the club, then-captain Pep Guardiola famously told fellow midfielder Xavi: "You're going to retire me. This lad [Iniesta] is going to retire us all."

Iniesta joined the first team during the tenure of Radomir Antić.

He made his first-team debut aged 18 in 2002.

On 29 October 2002, he made his first team debut in a 1–0 away win against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

He began playing regularly during the 2004–05 season and remained in the team until 2018.

In the 2004–05 season, he featured in 37 out of 38 league games—more than any other player—although 25 of these were substitute appearances.

He scored twice as Barcelona won La Liga.

An injury to Xavi at the start of the 2005–06 season allowed Iniesta more regular starts in the centre of midfield, and he continued to improve and develop.

Iniesta played for Spain at the Under-16, Under-19 and Under-21 levels before making his international debut in 2006.

He played in 11 UEFA Champions League games, including a half-time appearance in the 2006 final, to replace Edmílson.

His contribution to the team was praised by manager Frank Rijkaard as Barcelona won a league and Champions League double.

The 2006–07 season saw Iniesta's profile continue to rise and he earned plaudits for his willingness to play in any position for his team.

In the pre-season, he lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy as the captain of the team after a 4–0 victory over German side Bayern Munich.

Iniesta played for the first time as a left wing-forward for Barça in two Champions League matches against Levski Sofia, finding the net twice.

In the first knockout stage of the same competition, he played in central midfield against Liverpool.

Despite being moved around the pitch by manager Rijkaard, the 2006–07 season remains Iniesta's highest scoring thus far.

Don Balón, a member of European Sports Magazines, named Iniesta one of the most consistent performers in the previous two seasons of La Liga; he placed fifth in 2006–07 and fourth in 2007–08.

With the departure of Ludovic Giuly ahead of the 2007–08 campaign, Iniesta was able to switch his number 24 shirt for his preferred number 8.

He helped Spain win UEFA Euro 2008, playing every game and being selected in the Team of the Tournament.

Despite rumours of a possible transfer before the season, he extended his contract to 2014 on 25 January 2008, with his buy-out clause being raised to €150 million.

Iniesta was an integral part of the Barcelona sides that won two historic trebles in 2009 and 2015, and his 35 trophies, which includes nine La Ligas and four UEFA Champions League titles, make him the most decorated Spanish footballer of all time.

Iniesta was also a key member of the victorious Spanish team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup; he scored the winning goal in the final against the Netherlands, for which he was named the Man of the Match, and was selected to the tournament's All-Star Team.

His performances in 2010 for both club and country saw him being runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or.

Besides his runner-up position in 2010, he also achieved third place in the 2012 Ballon d'Or.

Iniesta comes from Fuentealbilla, a small village in the province of Albacete, Castile–La Mancha, where he mostly played futsal due to the lack of football pitches in the village.

At the age of 12, while playing for Albacete Balompié in a junior seven-a-side tournament in Albacete, he attracted the attention of scouts from clubs around Spain.

His parents knew Barcelona's youth team coach, Enrique Orizaola, and he persuaded them to consider sending Iniesta to the Barcelona youth academy.

Iniesta traveled there with his parents and visited La Masia, the farmhouse where the club houses its young players; the trip convinced them to enroll Iniesta in the Barcelona youth ranks.

Iniesta says he "cried rivers" the day he left for La Masia and struggled being separated from his parents; he was very shy and kept to himself while there.

At UEFA Euro 2012, Iniesta led Spain to their second consecutive continental crown, again being chosen as the Man of the Match of the final against Italy, and was named the Player of the Tournament.

Iniesta has been named in the FIFA FIFPro World XI nine times and was chosen in the UEFA Team of the Year on six occasions.

He was named in the All-time UEFA Euro XI.

He won the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in 2012 and was named the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker in 2012 and 2013.

After 22 years at Barcelona, Iniesta signed for J1 League club Vissel Kobe in 2018.

After leaving the club in 2023, Iniesta signed for UAE Pro League club Emirates.