Helio del Busto, licensed football coach and sports analyst, reflects on the greatness of Andrés Iniesta and the legacy of a unique generation that led Spain to the top of world football.
A generation that made a country smile
I feel grateful to have lived in the era of Casillas, Ramos, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Torres, all of them part of the Spanish national team that became world champions in South Africa.
They gave us so much joy that many nights during that World Cup we went to sleep with a smile.
Among all of them, Iniesta deserves a Ballon d’Or. He scored the decisive goal in the World Cup final, in the second half of extra time, with a perfect finish: a clean run, flawless technique and a strike full of precision that gave Spain the title. A football masterpiece.
A footballer who never wanted to stop playing
Iniesta left Barcelona after twenty-two years defending the club’s colours. After his last match, he asked to stay alone on the pitch until the lights went out. There, he removed his boots himself — not because someone took them off — perhaps thinking he still had football to give, and that it was unfair not to continue. Iniesta still has plenty to offer.
Lopetegui understood this and continued to trust him. In his last match before the World Cup, against Tunisia, he gave Iniesta the full ninety minutes because he still deserved it. His football remains unique and magical.
However, he was mentally drained by constant questions about his future. That would exhaust any athlete. Ronaldo is almost the same age and kept performing at the highest level. Felipe Reyes was nearly forced into retirement, yet with thirty-eight years he was still an extraordinary professional and a European champion. Pau Gasol, also at thirty-eight, continued shining for Spain. Nadal, at thirty-four, remained number one.
Many footballers are pushed into retirement mentally before their time. Xavi, at thirty-five, played better than anyone: pure precision, always controlling the tempo. He never stopped the game; he dictated it. He dribbled, changed rhythm, knew exactly when to pass.
Both he and Iniesta won many titles for Barcelona.
A football context that also explains many things
Guardiola, in Germany, did not win the Champions League because he did not have the creators of Barcelona’s midfield. He was eliminated by three Spanish teams.
At Manchester City, without Barcelona’s homegrown playmakers, he also struggled for years despite huge investment.
Messi, with Argentina, could not win major tournaments for a long time because he did not have Busquets, Xavi or Iniesta next to him. Iniesta and Xavi were similar in essence: true creators, football generators capable of transforming a match without sprinting more than anyone else.
Xavi was pushed aside as the club signed unnecessary players in his position, instead of promoting youth talent. He later said publicly that Barcelona were “not making good signings”, and his words resonated deeply with supporters.
Soon after, the sporting director Roberto was dismissed. Barcelona, league and cup champions, lost two decisive matches that season: one in La Liga and one in the Champions League against Roma. Was Messi to blame? Four days earlier he insisted on playing despite not being fully fit. He arrived exhausted at the Stadio Olimpico, and the team collapsed. Iniesta was substituted in that match.
The desire to continue and enjoy football
I always sensed that Iniesta wanted to continue with the Spanish national team. He said so publicly.
He signed for a Japanese club because he enjoys the game and knows he still plays better than many in his position.
Although Barcelona offered him a lifetime contract, circumstances pushed him to leave. They said goodbye too soon, when he was still full of football. He left alive, with the game still in his boots.
I hope he starts in the World Cup. I hope our eyes can keep enjoying his football.
For you, Iniesta.
And for everything you still have to give.
Licensed football coach and sports analyst