Andrés Iniesta: When the word legend is not enough

At the age of forty and after two decades at the top of the game, Andrés Iniesta, one of the greatest players in history, is hanging up his boots. The footballer from Fuentealbilla leaves after a formidable, unforgettable,  legendary career that elevated his name to mythical status. In the memory of all Spaniards there will always be that moment when, while he ‘listened to the silence’, we shouted with emotion when we saw that goal would give us the star on our shirts.

In Johannesburg (South Africa) he wrote one of his most brilliant pages in Spanish football history, something for which we will always be grateful to him. His goal against the Netherlands in the World Cup final crowned the national team which, in four years, won two European Championships and a World Cup, three titles in which Iniesta's influence was total, in numbers and, above all, in his unmistakable style.

With the senior national team, he ended his time with 13 goals and 29 assists, and he did so after a long career that began with the U-15s when he was still a teenager.

If his time in red was successful, what can we say about his time at Barcelona, the club he joined from his native Albacete and which made him a household name in world football. He was a key member of the Barça team which, while he was on the pitch, was able to win four of its five European Cups, nine Leagues, six Copa del Rey Trophies and three Club World Cups.

His list of honours is one of the most impressive in the history of football, but above all his accolades, awards and trophies cement his legacy. Thank you for everything, Andrés.