Legend of FC Barcelona, Roja and more generally in football, he leaves behind a monstrous record and an immense legacy. Iniesta is perhaps the player who most embodied football at the turn of the 2010s, as a master of playing Guardiola’s tiki-taka.
His history is rich in unforgettable moments and he would surely have deserved a Ballon d’Or if he had not fallen at such a special time. Real Madrid thus sees one of its greatest and most beautiful opponents leave. If the rivalry has been bitter for years, no hard feelings can be felt towards a player of such class, and we are not only talking about level here. Iniesta was an artist and a savant of the ball, a player who had a well-rounded career with Real Madrid. Here are five notable moments.
1996: Iniesta could have been trained at Real Madrid
Young Andrés had a heart that beat for White House. An early fan of Albacete Balompié, he first hated FC Barcelona because of a 7-1 humiliation of his club at the Camp Nou. He thus became a Madridista and attempted to join the club in 1996.
Then aged 12, the man who would become a legend of Blaugranas was about to sign with Real Madrid. After he distinguished himself at the Brunete tournament in 1995 when he was the youngest player in the competition, he was well established and his parents wanted to see him sign for a big club. The contract with the Meringues had been negotiated and it included the allocation of an apartment in the Spanish capital so that his family could follow him. Everything came crashing down when the family visited the property and realized it was in a bad neighborhood where prostitutes occupied the adjacent streets.
This event pushed Iniesta’s parents to consider the proposal from FC Barcelona. They visited the Masía before finally accepting the proposal from the Catalan club.
2006: a story of release clause
Andrés Iniesta, 22, is a young, intelligent, technical midfielder who is already very important within FC Barcelona. Behind Deco and Edmílson, he was the third most used midfielder during the 2005-2006 season, particularly in the second half of the season when Xavi suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament. THE Blaugranas also won the Champions League, La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup that year.
For their part, Real Madrid were reaching the end of the Galactic era as Zinedine Zidane hung up his boots. Thus, in the summer of 2006, the sports management of Real Madrid set its eyes on Andrés Iniesta’s release clause. Estimated at 60 million euros, this did not prevent Madrid decision-makers from starting negotiations with the Spanish community. The terms of the contract were negotiated and both parties reached an agreement. However, Ramón Calderón, just elected president of Real Madrid, did not validate the operation.
Beyond the cost of the transaction, he did not want to further complicate the balance of power with the Barcelona rival, taking the precedent of Luís Figo as an example. The Portuguese moved from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000 when the club merengue had paid his release clause, as they were preparing to do for Iniesta. The player was then targeted by Catalan supporters during each Clásico, and even during other matches using banners. The atmosphere was heavy during each trip to the Camp Nou and this had an impact on the quality of the matches. Thus, Ramón Calderón preferred to avoid repeating this scenario.
2008: conspicuous by its absence
Andrés Iniesta is now an executive at FC Barcelona. During the 2007-2008 season, his duo with Xavi has been sparking for two seasons now. He once again had an excellent season, but it was cut short due to a strained meniscus.
In his absence, on May 7, 2008, Barça traveled to Santiago Bernabéu for the last Classic of the season. THE Culés are cornered and cannot build their game. For their part, the Meringues, led, chained the attacks. While the Blaugranas had won the first 6-2 at the Camp Nou, they were defeated here 4-1. There is no doubt that the absence of Andrés Iniesta disrupted the meeting.
Since this match, Real Madrid have never achieved such a clear victory against FC Barcelona.
2010: the little hand
Pep Guardiola became the coach of FC Barcelona in the summer of 2008 and football has not been the same since. The tiki-taka dominates and the Xavi-Iniesta duo works magic every week behind the very young Lionel Messi. In 2010-2011, the Argentinian was associated with David Villa and Pedro on the 4-3-3 front.
On November 29, 2010, for the 13th day of La Liga, Barça hosted Real Madrid. In this match, no gifts are given to the Madrilenians and José Mourinho is forced to watch his team concede five goals helplessly. Everything is happening too quickly and Iniesta is even at the origin of the first goal, offering a precise pass in the interval for Xavi who achieves a blissful and so iconic finish. THE Blaugranas outrageously dominated possession with more than 66%, as usual during this period.
This meeting testifies to the domination that Iniesta was able to impose within the midfield of the Culés. Rarely have Real Madrid and its supporters felt so helpless.
2015: a standing ovation
It is quite rare for a player to receive a standing ovation from the opposing team. Even more so when it’s by a rival club. And especially when the rivalry in question is that between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. And yet, on November 21, 2015, Iniesta received a standing ovation at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.
Author of a superb goal after a combination with Neymar in the 53rd minute, the Spanish midfielder leaves 25 minutes later. While Barça already leads 4-0 away, the supporters meringues might take the situation badly, but instead they give Andrés Iniesta a standing ovation.
He who could have joined the club in 1996 or 2006, who was a Madridistawho is a total legend of Spain and football, in front of the expression of his talent, the fans decided to show respect to his immense talent.
And now, on October 8, 2024, almost 10 years after this ovation, 30 years after history began, it is also time to pay tribute to his career. For everything he brought to life, for good and for harm, Meringues. For the humble and passionate man he has been all these years. For everything he brought to football. Thank you Andrés.
François Simonin
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