Andres Iniesta confirms retirement from football aged 40

Legendary former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta has confirmed his retirement from football aged 40.

Iniesta, who scored the winning goal against the Netherlands in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s, establishing himself as a core part of Barcelona's midfield alongside long-term running buddy Xavi.

He became one of the world's best players, owing to his supreme technical ability, and was rewarded for his talent with endless success at both club and international level.

A four-time Champions League and nine-time La Liga winner with Barcelona, Iniesta won the 2008 and 2012 European Championship with Spain, sandwiched either side of an unforgettable 2010 World Cup campaign that saw him break Dutch hearts with a late extra-time winner.

Many felt his displays at club and international level would lead to the 2010 Ballon d'Or, but Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi pipped both Iniesta and Xavi to the award - he also finished in third place two years later.

Iniesta departed Barcelona in 2018 but continued his career in Japan with Vissel Kobe, staying there for five years before joining Emirates Club, based in the United Arab Emirates, for a season.

In an emotional announcement confirming he is stepping away from the game, Iniesta said: "I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. All these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness. They are tears of that boy from Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of work, sacrifice... of never giving up, essential values in my life.