BARCELONA: Former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, who won two European Championships and the 2010 World Cup with an all-conquering Spain team, announced his retirement from football on Tuesday at the age of 40.

“Being on the pitch is over,” a visibly emotional Iniesta told reporters at a news conference in Barcelona. “I can’t stay away from football, it’s my life and will continue to be my life. Now I need to continue educating myself, I’m in the process of doing my coaching diploma and that’s the next step.”

“I will try to come back and do a great job, but it won’t be running after the ball, but from another place,” he added. Iniesta came up through Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and made his first-team debut in 2002 aged just 18, becoming a mainstay in the midfield before his departure 16 years later.

He won nine La Liga titles and the Champions League four times with Barcelona, but his greatest moment came in the 2010 World Cup final when he scored the winning goal against the Netherlands in extra time.

After leaving Barcelona in 2018, Iniesta spent five years with Japanese club Vissel Kobe before playing one final season with Emirates of the UAE. — AFP