Lionel Messi posts touching tribute to Andres Iniesta

Once the 40-year-old announced his retirement from professional football, Lionel Messi paid homage to Barcelona and Spain great Andres Iniesta.

Messi won four Champions League titles with Barcelona, all of them with Iniesta as a teammate: in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015. Along with winning two European Championship championships with La Roja, he also scored the game-winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final.

The little midfielder joined Emirates Club in the UAE last season after spending five seasons in Japan with Vissel Kobe after leaving Camp Nou in 2018. Despite having five league goals the previous season, he was unable to keep the team from being relegated.

On Monday, Iniesta made the decision to formally hang up his boots after evaluating his career. From all around the football world, tributes have been pouring in, and Messi’s remarks have highlighted how well regarded he was.

“One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most,” Messi wrote on social media. “The ball is going to miss you, and so will all of us. I wish you the best always, you’re a phenomenon.”

Iniesta posted a heartfelt video announcing his retirement with the following caption: ‘The game goes on’.

Several past Barcelona managers, including Pep Guardiola, Louis van Gaal, and Luis Enrique, paid tribute to the team.

“Do you know what it reflects to me?” said Luis Enrique, who played with Iniesta at Camp Nou before managing Barcelona. “It reflects what we felt when we were kids on the street, when your mother called you, after dark, when you could no longer see the ball, [shouting] ‘come here, come here’ – that’s Andres Iniesta.”

“Having one of the most important talents that was Andres, at that moment, we had just one point from six and were almost on relegation,” Guardiola reflected, “When a player like Andres tells you that you are on the right path, people are happy.

“Everything will be fine, it will be fine. Wow. It gave me the boost of energy to keep going. I will always be grateful, very much so.”