Lionel Messi sends heartfelt tribute to Andres Iniesta after retirement announcement | OneFootball

Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta have enjoyed so many beautiful moments in a FC Barcelona jersey over the years and it was time for the former to come up with yet another such moment after the latter announced his retirement from professional football.

Around a week ago, it emerged that Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta was set to announce his retirement from the game. Eventually, the 40-year-old made the tearful announcement yesterday, pulling down the curtains on a glorious career.

Post his announcement, Lionel Messi has sent a heartful tribute to his former teammate, as quoted by reliable Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. Here is what it said:

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

To say that Iniesta is a legend of the game would be an understatement. Along with Xavi Hernandez and Sergio Busquets, the trio redefined the role of midfielders for an entire generation of players and remains the standard for most coaches worldwide.

885 club appearances. 93 goals. 161 assists. In addition to this, he also made 131 appearances for Spain, the last of which came in the 2018 World Cup. These stats tell a story by themselves and do not really need much explanation.

Iniesta oozed class on the ball. The Spanish magician had incredible close control and could evade pressure to save his life. He was almost unstoppable in his peak. In many ways, Barcelona has found a player very similar to him in Pedri.

Now that he is retired, it remains to be seen what Iniesta does in the next step of his career. He could follow his friend and teammate Xavi’s footsteps and take a leap into coaching. Somewhere in the future, one would hope to see the 40-year-old in some capacity at Barcelona.

Let’s wait and see how things go with Iniesta. Right now, we wish him the happiest retired life. He will forever be remembered for what he has given to this beautiful game and it makes one proud to say that he wore a Barcelona shirt for much of his career.