Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta retired last week, holding an event in the Catalan capital where he made his name. It appears he is set on pursuing a career in coaching after dropping various hints in the past.
Of course one of the first questions asked by MD was whether he could see himself following in the footsteps of former teammate Xavi Hernandez, and taking over as a manager of the club he came through at.
“It is an incredible challenge for any coach and for technicians who have been players here and have had a history behind them, even more so. It is a major challenge. But when you think as a coach you always try to be prepared for anything.”
He was also asked who his references were, and if he would take something from all of his coaches into his new career.
“No to the first question and yes to the second. In the end, directly or indirectly, I have learned from everyone I have had with day-to-day life and any way of managing a group. Now I am only focused on learning, watching, studying, speaking and from there, watching. I can’t answer what my coaching model is because I don’t have it nor have I stopped to think about it.”
Iniesta did make it clear that he was very much at the outset of his journey in terms of just becoming a coach.
“With the Iniesta profile I want to highlight that everyone is unique in their essence. We’ll see, but I’m reluctant to talk about a coach when I haven’t even started. There are hopes and beautiful things that could happen but time will tell.”
The key thing is to have a clear idea of what you want though, according to the 40-year-old.
“Mainly, the knowledge of what you want to do and transmit. You have to know what a dressing room is and many aspects. And above all, surround yourself with powerful people who you feel can help you.”
Few had earmarked Iniesta as one of the players to be a key part of Barcelona’s historic sides to become a coach in the future, being a quieter character than the likes of Xavi, Carles Puyol or some of his other contemporaries. However he has no shortage of experience at the top level, and while he spent all of his top-level career at Barcelona, he did move to a completely contrasting culture and football world at Vissel Kobe in Japan.