Lionel Messi lauds Andres Iniesta's 'magic' after retirement

Former Barcelona and Spain great Andres Iniesta announced his retirement from football at a press conference on Tuesday at 40. As his long-time teammate, Lionel Messi paid tribute to the Spanish midfielder on Instagram.

"One of the teammates with the most magic and with whom I enjoyed playing the most," Messi posted. "Football will miss you and so will we."

Iniesta and Messi had been teammates in Barca's first team since 2005, considered to be two of the best products from the club's youth academy, La Masia de Can Planes. They won eight La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey championships and four UEFA Champions League titles together among other honors.

Iniesta left Barca for Vissel Kobe of Japan's J.League in 2018 and joined Emirates Club in the UAE Pro League in 2023. Messi parted ways with Barcelona in 2021 to sign with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in Ligue 1 and then joined Inter Miami of the Major League Soccer in 2023.

Iniesta had one of the most successful national team careers for Spain, helping the team win two straight UEFA European Championships in 2008 and 2012 as well as the FIFA World Cup title in 2010.

"I never thought this day would arrive," Iniesta said of his retirement. "I never imagined it. All the tears over the last few days are not tears of sadness, though, but of emotion, of pride."

"They are the tears of that small boy from Fuentealbilla, who dreamed of being a footballer and achieved it through a lot of hard work, sacrifice and never giving up," he added. "Those are the essential values in my life. I feel proud of the journey and the people that have accompanied me. I feel happy to have lived a dream."

Iniesta has expressed his intention to return to Barcelona at some point in the future.