Andres Iniesta reveals his stance on a future Barcelona return | OneFootball

It has been more than eight years since Andres Iniesta left FC Barcelona, but he still remains one of the most beloved players to have played for the Blaugrana club. After playing for a few years in Japan, the Spanish midfielder hung up his boots in 2024, and is currently managing Gulf United FC in the UAE.

Meanwhile, he also continues to be closely associated with both the Catalan club and the Catalan capital, where he is set to inaugurate an interactive exhibition called “Iniesta Experience: The Inner Game”.

Ahead of this event, the Spaniard appeared in an interview with Mundo Deportivo and talked about several aspects of his former club and some of its current players.

While admitting that returning to Barcelona would be a dream, the coach clarified that this was not something he was actively working on for now:

“Time will tell what is meant to be. Obviously, it would be very nice if I continued my coaching career at some point, given what Barça means to me, but it is not something I have in mind as a specific goal. I have always said that my dream was to be a footballer, and that was when I had goals and ambitions.

When I arrived in Barcelona, my goal was to succeed with the first team. Those were the goals and things that I had very clearly in my mind. Now, perhaps because I like to take things a little more slowly, and because becoming a coach was not something I had planned in my head, time will tell. But it is true that I am really enjoying this start. Not just being a coach, but everything that comes with it.”

Talking about Lamine Yamal, the former midfielder was clear the young winger is not an ordinary player:

“No, it is not normal, because otherwise there would be more players who could achieve it. It is not normal, and the beautiful and important thing about it is the ambition he has, his naturalness, and the fact that, if you stop to think about it, what he has ahead of him at that age is incredible.”

Although recognizing that Yamal has already won a lot, Iniesta highlighted that he will have to keep up this level on a consistent basis:

“The only thing is that the challenge for a footballer and for teams like Barça is an annual one. In other words, it is not about what you have won, but what you have to keep winning every year. That is the key, and that is the challenge these kinds of players have right now. At their age, they have already won very important trophies, or some of the most important ones, but every year they face the challenge of continuing to do so.”

The Spanish coach also believed the arrival of Rodri can help Barcelona win the Champions League this season:

“Yes, of course. Having a player like Rodri undoubtedly raises the level. A player like that, at his level, with the importance he has within the team and his understanding of the game, obviously takes the team to another level.”

The Barcelona legend also named some Blaugrana players whom he particularly likes:

“If we’re talking about midfielders, I really like the ones we have at Barça. I like Pedri a lot, I love Pedri, but I also really like Fermín, I really like Dani Olmo, and Gavi as well. I think that, rather than saying this player or that player, it’s more about saying that they have the best. Or at least, in my opinion, what do I like in a footballer? Well, these three players, for example, are exactly what I love.”

Andres Iniesta has already accumulated some experience of coaching, but it remains to be seen when he will take the next step in his career and start coaching a top-level team in Europe. Barcelona fans would definitely hope that he can turn out to be a great success, especially with their own team, at some point in the future.