Andres Iniesta retirement: Legends including Messi and Zidane's views on "magic" star

As Andres Iniesta announces that helium volition discontinue adjacent week, the shot world is preparing to wage tribite to 1 of its all-time greats.

The midfielder won much than 20 trophies with Barcelona, including 4 Champions League titles, and scored the winning extremity successful the 2010 World Cup final. Even successful the twilight of his vocation helium continued to thrive successful Japan for Vissel Kobe, and helped the Japanese broadside triumph the J1 League past twelvemonth earlier finishing his vocation successful the UAE.

It's nary surprise, then, to to spot teammates sing his praises passim a vocation with plentifulness of highs. Here, Mirror Football looks astatine 7 examples of colleagues, coaches, and adjacent opponents which overgarment a representation of however peculiar a subordinate Iniesta has been.

Xavi

Where other to statesman different than with the antheral who partnered Iniesta for immoderate of his champion moments. Xavi and Iniesta complemented each different brilliantly some for Spain and for Barcelona, and the existent Barca brag paid tribute to the prima erstwhile helium near Catalonia for Japan successful 2018.

"Andres is, for me, the astir talented subordinate successful the past of Spanish shot that I’ve seen," he said, explaining "You watched him play and it was a show".

"He’s spectacularly talented," Xavi added.. "I don’t cognize how, but Andres ever showed up astatine conscionable the close moment.

"We didn’t request to speech connected the pitch, helium didn’t archer maine wherever helium was with words, I conscionable knew. We understood each different aft playing unneurotic for a much than a decade, it wasn’t indispensable to communicate."

Where does Andres Iniesta fertile among the all-time greats? Have your accidental successful the comments section

Pep Guardiola

Guardiola was successful the dugout for Barcelona's Champions League wins successful 2009 and 2011, erstwhile Xavi, Iniesta and others helped them past a beardown Manchester United squad not erstwhile but twice. The Catalan brag is 1 of the champion astatine what helium does, but adjacent he admitted successful 2018 that Iniesta had taught him a lot.

"I learned a batch conscionable from being astir him, seeing him bid and watching however easy helium did things and what was astir awesome was however earthy helium was," Guardiola said. He did things with perfection excessively and simply had a earthy acquisition that is incomparable."

The manager has besides credited Iniesta with helping him done a pugnacious aboriginal spell successful complaint astatine Camp Nou. Defeat astatine Numancia successful his archetypal La Liga crippled wasn't the champion of starts for Guardiola, but Iniesta - as the manager recalls - came into the dressing country aft the nonaccomplishment and convinced him not to alteration anything.

Iniesta could spot the vision, adjacent then. And much than a decennary on, everyone tin spot it.

Lionel Messi

If Lionel Messi sings your praises, you cognize you're connected the close track. And Messi spent agelong capable playing successful beforehand of Iniesta to springiness the fairest of assessments.

" I ever representation him with the shot astatine his feet," the Barcelona fable said successful the 2016 publication 'The Artist: Being Iniesta' (as reported by Sky Sports astatine the time). " That's the mode I person got utilized to seeing him.

"He does everything well, with simplicity. At times, it whitethorn look similar he's not doing anything, but successful information he's doing it all.

"Everything is antithetic with Andres. The hardest happening to bash successful shot is to marque it look similar everything is easy, effortless, and that's Andres."

Paco Seirulo

The aforesaid publication features a depiction of Iniesta from Paco Seirulo, Barcelona's fittingness manager for a 20-year period. Those 20 years included Guardiola's full tenure arsenic manager, and it was helium who relayed his colleague's words, arsenic follows:

“Andrés is 1 of the greats. Why? Because of his mastery of the narration betwixt abstraction and time.

"He knows wherever helium is astatine each moment. Even successful a midfield wherever he’s surrounded by countless players, helium chooses the close way each time. He knows wherever and when, always.”

Gerard Pique

Pique was Barcelona's 4th skipper erstwhile Iniesta wore the armband successful his last play and is simply a premier illustration of an academy prima returning to Camp Nou aft immoderate clip distant and thriving.

The 35-year-old was calved successful Catalonia, arsenic were Xavi and Busquets. However, the quality of Albacete autochthonal Iniesta to consciousness arsenic large a portion of the Barcelona household felt similar a testament to the antheral himself successful Pique's eyes.

"Iniesta is an illustration of what La Masia means," Pique said successful 2018. "Of players that person travel from extracurricular [Catalonia] and person developed present arsenic players and arsenic people."

Zinedine Zidane

It's not conscionable teammates oregon colleagues who person sung Iniesta's praises implicit the years. Indeed, Zinedine Zidane - erstwhile manager of Barcelona's aged rivals Real Madrid - inactive recognised Iniesta's prime went beyond nine animosity.

"It's difficult, due to the fact that if you similar football, to spot a subordinate similar him go," Zidane said upon learning the seasoned would beryllium leaving Camp Nou. "I don't spot him arsenic a Barcelona player, I spot him arsenic a shot subordinate and 2 oregon 3 times I played against him.

"He is charming, helium is precise reserved and I similar the radical who amusement everything connected the transportation and extracurricular they are calmer. I lone person bully words for him, admiration for his shot and I privation him the champion for his future, but supra each arsenic a person."

David Silva

You could beryllium forgiven for reasoning the highest praise for Iniesta came from those with a Barcelona connection. However, erstwhile Manchester City midfielder Silva - a teammate successful the 2010 World Cup triumph and the European Championships victories of 2008 and 2012 - was adjacent much effusive than the rest.

“The property often inquire maine astir Messi and Ronaldo and who is the champion but 1 happening for maine is precise clear,”Silva said successful 2012. “For me, the No. 1 is Andres Iniesta, due to the fact that helium is my team-mate for Spain and I tin spot that helium is capable to bash adjacent much hard things connected the pitch.

"Andres is magic with the shot and a large person, a large subordinate for the team. I don’t cognize privately Ronaldo oregon Messi but Andres is specified a large subordinate and character. So important.”

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