The Athletic interviewed Spanish and Barcelona legendary midfielder Iniesta. He talked about "Guardiola's prophecy", playing alongside Xavi, scoring against Chelsea and "fried meatballs" and other topics. Reporter Laia Cervelló Herrero wrote an exclusive report.
TA exclusive interview report↓
The first night Iniesta spent at La Masia Youth Academy was one of the worst nights in his life.
He was only 12 years old at the time. He had been growing up surrounded by his family in Fuente Albiria, a small village in the Spanish province of Albacete, but now he was alone, hundreds of miles away from home.
He was living a dream, but the experience left its mark on him. Iniesta said the "traumatic" loss may have played a role in his depression at the peak of his career.
The 41-year-old Iniesta will retire in October 2024. He still talks about football in the present tense, perhaps because one never escapes being a player, or perhaps because he has yet to fully accept the fact that he will never step onto a pitch again.
"I think I will always have that sense of nostalgia for the rest of my life, and I do. The thing is, you gradually realize that football is more than just those 90 minutes on the pitch, it requires a lot of preparation. And eventually it's that that wears you down."
This fall marks the first anniversary of Iniesta's new life, and Barcelona, the club where he played his career, seems to be paying tribute to him with some Champions League tours this season.
Earlier this month, Barcelona played a crazy 3-3 at home in Bruges, and in 2002, the 18-year-old Iniesta completed his Barcelona debut at this stadium.
Today local time, Barcelona will also visit Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge Stadium. Here, Iniesta scored one of the most important goals in his career and in Barcelona's history, helping the team advance to the 2009 Champions League final. In that final, Guardiola's team achieved the treble for the first time.
Iniesta has the closest connection with Barcelona coached by Guardiola, as well as his long-term partners Xavi and Busquets. He has won every honor possible at club and international level, including nine La Liga titles, six Copa del Reys, four Champions League titles, the 2010 World Cup, and two European Cups with Spain.
In 2010, he scored in overtime against the Netherlands, winning the World Cup, the most prestigious tournament in football, for Spain and joining club teammates Messi and Xavi on the podium in the Ballon d'Or selection.
As Barcelona return to Stamford Bridge, The Athletic sat down with Iniesta to talk about his playing style and some of his most memorable goals - although for Iniesta, playing football has never been just about scoring goals.
When I mentioned "fried balls", Iniesta couldn't help laughing.
His signature dribbling move, passing the ball from one foot to the other. It's called "croquettes" because the action resembles the way croquettes roll in a frying pan or plate.
Messi used to do this move a lot, as did Laudrup, but in modern football, it is perhaps Iniesta who is most closely associated with it. Iniesta has a talent for simplifying the complex. When you see him on the pitch, there's something mesmerizing about the way he plays.
Where did he learn it?
Iniesta said: "My idols are Guardiola and Laudrup. Laudrup's superb dribbling skills inspired me. Later I would try it in training and games, and eventually it became part of my game style. I feel very comfortable, and Usually can do well."
Before joining Barcelona at the age of 12, Iniesta played as a defensive midfielder in the Albacete youth team and continued to play this position in the La Masia youth training camp. Guardiola also played this role in the first team.
Iniesta still held the same position when he made his first appearance on behalf of the Barcelona first team. He had an excellent eye for the pitch, but on a physical level struggled to meet the demands that modern football was beginning to place.
Watching the video of his debut against Brugge, he has both the vision of a veteran and the vitality of a 14 or 15-year-old player, which is very eye-catching.
As a result, his position changed, and then Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard moved him to the left wing.
Iniesta said: "What I like is playing football, no matter where I play. I have always felt most comfortable as an attacking midfielder. But I think the tactical system of football is related to your understanding of the game and your understanding of the teammates around you.
"In this sense, the early years were a learning experience, and I frequently changed positions during that time. This taught me a lot about what I should and should not do in a certain position.
"Then, as time went by, maybe I stayed most stable in the center in the attacking midfield position, but it all depends on the situation at the time, it depends on the game, it depends on many factors."
After Guardiola was promoted to the first-team head coach in 2008, the team ushered in stability. He deployed Iniesta in the midfield, partnering Xavi and Busquets.
They became one of the best midfield combinations in history, although the club believed at the time that Xavi and Iniesta, as attacking midfielders, could not play together at the same time because the team's physical confrontation would be unbalanced. Today, this idea seems ridiculous.
The tacit understanding between Iniesta and Xavi seems to be tacit. This may be because Xavi also grew up imitating Guardiola..
Iniesta said: "This is not the same as the game against Chelsea. We went into overtime, we had a chance to score, and they only had 10 men left. The goal should have come, but there were only a few minutes left before the penalty shootout. I felt very good in that game and I thought, 'Oh, we have to avoid a penalty shootout at all costs.'
"When I was about to enter the penalty area, Torres was preparing to pass the ball on the left. When Fabregas got the ball, I was ready to receive it. He was very fast and very smart and passed the ball to me. I was a little out of balance and wanted to pass the ball, and it worked out great, didn't it? "
Iniesta took off his jersey and showed off a white undershirt. On the undershirt was written with a blue marker a sentence that will go down in history: "Dani Jarque will always be with us."
Jarque is a friend of Iniesta. He once played for Espanyol and was an international player for the Spanish youth team. In 2009 In August, he died suddenly of a heart attack in a hotel during the club's preseason at the age of 26. Iniesta had already suffered from mental health issues, and he tried to cope with his depression by continuing to play without letting the fans notice.
Iniesta said: "I almost hit rock bottom. I put myself in the hands of professionals and with a lot of dedication and hard work, I worked through the bad moments, the mundane moments, and the good moments, and I began to slowly recover.
"At first, I found it very difficult to complete the training. It was very difficult, but I had the mentality to try, even just a little bit, to train. I understood that those few minutes, those 10 minutes, are the grains of sand you put into the positive side of the days to come. Fortunately, with the help of many people I was able to get through it. It was a very difficult time."
In 1999, three years after moving to Barcelona, Iniesta captained the team in a youth championship final against Argentina's Rosario Central team and scored the winning goal. Guardiola awarded him the best player award and the championship trophy in the final.
Guardiola whispered in his ear: "In a few years, I will be sitting in the stands watching you do everything you do today, but it will be in the first team."
Iniesta recalled fondly: "I think I have a signed jersey with this sentence printed on it. This is one of the most special moments I have experienced in my career. . Think about it: years later, your idol becomes your coach, and what happens next.”
Before saying goodbye, I was keenly aware that he was not a person who liked to talk about himself, so I read him a passage from former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson at a press conference before the 2009 Champions League final.
Ferguson said at the time: "I'm not obsessed with Messi, Iniesta is the threat, he is great. He makes the whole team operate efficiently. The way he passes the ball, runs and creates space is incredible. He is too important for Barcelona."
Iniesta smiled.
"I love playing football." He replied.