Ronaldinho has paid tribute to former team-mate Andrés Iniesta following the announcement of the Barcelona legend’s retirement this week.
Iniesta helped define an era at Barcelona, combining with fellow La Masia titleholders Xavi Hernández and Lionel Messi to put the club at the pinnacle of world football.
He made 674 appearances, winning 29 trophies. As captain, the midfielder left the Camp Nou in 2018 and ended his career with five years in Japan at Vissel Kobe and a final season at the Emirates in the United Arab Emirates Pro League which took him in May to his 40th birthday.
The start of Iniesta’s career coincided with Ronaldinho’s move to Barcelona. The Brazilian arrived from Paris Saint-Germain in 2003 and stayed for five years. Iniesta had made his debut for the first team in 2002, but became an important player from the 2004/05 campaign.
It was at the end of that season that Ronaldinho won the Ballon d’Or, while Barcelona won the Champions League the following year.
“We will miss your quality and elegance on the pitch,” Ronaldinho posted in an emotional tribute on Instagram. “It was a pleasure playing with you! Hope to see you soon bro.”
After hanging up his boots, Iniesta has already revealed his ambitions to become a coach.
“I can’t get away from football, it’s my life and it will continue to be. Now I need to keep training, I’m in the process of doing my coaching diploma and that’s the next step. I’ll try to come back and do a big job, but it won’t be running after the ball,” he said.
Barcelona have a history of recruiting former players in coaching roles, as well as other senior positions behind the scenes. Pep Guardiola is perhaps the most famous example in modern times, but the likes of Luis Enrique, Xavi, Ronald Koeman and the late Johan Cruyff became legends as players before taking on managerial duties on the bench.
