Andres Iniesta the greatest Spanish player of all time?

Shilpa Rajan October 10, 2024

Andres Iniesta, one of the finest midfielders of this era, has announced his retirement from professional football. The FIFA World Cup winner with Spain will hang his boots after playing more than two decades of professional football. Iniesta will retire after winning almost everything possible as a player. So, is he the greatest Spanish player? Let’s find out.

Andres Iniesta: From La Masia to Barcelona

Barcelona’s La Masia academy has produced some big talents over the years. Andres Iniesta is one of the biggest players to come out of Barcelona’s academy. The 40-year-old made his first team debut in 2002. He represented Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Iniesta played nine games in the 2002-03 season and followed this with 17 appearances in the next season.

First full season & first silverware

The 2004-05 season turned out to be a breakthrough one for the Spanish maestro. He played 46 games for the Catalonia club. Iniesta was honored with his first La Liga title in the 2004-05 season. This was a perfect start to an illustrious career ahead of the player.

Barcelona clinched the league title in the 2005-06 season as well. They also became the champions of Europe. Andres Iniesta was a European champion in just his second full season with the club.

16 years at Barcelona

Andres Iniesta spent 16 seasons at Barcelona. He was one of their best players on the field. Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets created a solid partnership in the middle of the park. Iniesta carried the team and won the La Liga nine times. He also lifted the UEFA Champions League four times. Barcelona won the Copa del Rey six times.

During his 16 years at Barcelona, Iniesta won the treble twice. This is an outstanding achievement for a player. He played 442 La Liga matches and represented the club in 135 European matches. Iniesta won 34 titles with the football club.

Football after Barcelona

After winning everything with Barcelona, Iniesta moved to Japan in 2018. He spent almost six seasons with Vissel Kobe before moving to the UAE. Andres Iniesta won the J1 League and made his final appearance for the Emirates Club.

World Cup & European champion

Andres Iniesta won a lot of trophies with the club but also added a few international trophies to his illustrious career. The midfielder was a part of the Golden Generation of Spain that won the Euro 2008 and followed that with a FIFA World Cup 2010 triumph as well as the 2012 Euro championship.

Spain won the Euro in 2008. Iniesta was a part of the team of the tournament. Spain played in the 2010 World Cup and reached the final against the Netherlands. The final was heading towards penalties before Iniesta stepped up to the occasion. The midfielder scored a late goal to ensure Spain’s first World Cup. This team also won the 2012 Euros. Andres played 131 matches for the national team.

Andres Iniesta was one of the best players to take the field. His trophy cabinet makes him one of the greatest ever Spanish players.