Andrés Iniesta, the mastermind of Barça and Spain’s heyday, retires at 40

Never awarded the Ballon d’Or, the 2010 world champion will remain as one of the most intelligent football players in history.

It was through a video in his image that Andrés Iniesta bowed out on Monday October 7. Few words from him, almost none, while illustrious personalities from the world of football speak in his place, from Louis van Gaal to Luis Enrique via Pep Guardiola. The emblematic midfielder of Barça (2002 to 2018) and the Spanish selection (130 caps) called it quits at 40. Although he had left the spotlight six years ago when he left Catalonia, he was still playing football in Asia, first in Japan, then in the United Arab Emirates, in the shadow of the European tumult, where his The nature of a reserved and cerebral man blossomed.

“He is one of the rare footballers to have been a teacher before being a student”says the illustrious Italian tactician Arrigo Sacchi of him. “He had everything in his head”follows in his footsteps Louis van Gaal, the coach who launched him into the professional world at Barça in 2002. The puny midfielder (1m70) will have marked all football fans with his intelligence of the game, sublimated by his ease technique and his lucidity at all times, alongside his most faithful midfield friend, Xavi (486 matches played together).

Thierry Henry, who worked alongside him at Barça for three seasons, insisted on this aspect of the game by addressing him in a column in 2018 when Iniesta left Barça. “Andrés is a guy who, above all else, talks with the ball. When he has the ball, he can talk for days. […] When you give him the ball, he turns into Superman. It’s all in his head.”the Frenchman then wrote on the Sky Sports website [lien en anglais].

In 2017, a Swedish study focusing on the cognitive functions of footballers (attention, working memory, anticipation, decision-making, ability to adapt, according to Sciences et Avenir)had shown that certain players ranked among the most intelligent people in the study. If Xavi was in the first hundredth (Top 1%), Iniesta ranked even higher (Top 0.1%). Enough to lead a career with no less than 1016 matches played, without the slightest red card, and with an exceptional record. With him, Barça won four Champions Leagues and nine Spanish championship titles, and La Roja was crowned world champion in 2010 and double European champion (2008, 2012).

The future will tell if he will be able to put his vision of football at the service of the game in a different way, for example by taking a place on a bench. Without giving any clue, Andrés Iniesta has in any case already announced to his fans that the adventure will not stop there. Scalded by the Xavi experience, Culés supporters will perhaps regain hope of seeing one of their idols at the head of the club, even if the new page opened by the arrival of Hansi Flick calls for others.