Do you have any remaining ambitions
for what is left of your contract?
I know time isn’t on my side but my ambition
for now is to carry on enjoying playing football.
I want to look after myself in order to play to
the best of my ability and to help my club.
On top of that, obviously as a club we have
our goals and objectives, and we’ll always
try our utmost to achieve them. But my
big challenge is to keep enjoying playing
and for the fans and spectators to still
feel proud to watch me play.
And do you have any thoughts
yet on what you want to do next?
Sometimes I consider some things, and
ANDRES INIESTA
sometimes others. Honestly, I don’t know
exactly the what, where or how. One thing
for sure is that I would like for it to be linked
to football, as it’s my life and passion. It won’t
be playing, which is what I enjoy the most,
but I’ll try to make it related to football
and from there we’ll see.You’ve said in the past that you would
be interested in coaching. Is that still
among your plans?
Yes, I have thought about it. It’s true that
I would like to get my
coaching badges. It’s
something I’d like to
do, although I don’t
know whether I’ll use
them or not. Let’s see
what happens. But as I said, I haven’t
got any clear plan in mind just yet...So those Barcelona fans who dream
of seeing you alongside Xavi in the
Camp Nou dugout will have to wait...
It’s difficult because of the timings and because
Xavi has been preparing himself to be a coach
for years, and obviously he already has his own
staff. To speak about something like that is
extremely far-fetched. As I’ve always said,
I’d love to return to Barcelona in one form
or another, helping in whichever way I can.You formed the Iniesta Methodology
Camp in Spain in 2013 and have since
held them in Japan as well. Could
you tell us a little bit about why you
formed the soccer academy and the
methodology behind them?
For kids that want to get into football, having
a good foundation is key for their development
and growth. What we try to transmit and teach
is a way of understanding football and life in
general; how to train and how to behave.Setback...Iniesta walks off the pitch dejected after
tearing a muscle during an AFC Champions League tie
Beyond the technical and tactical aspects,
it’s a way of understanding the sport. When
we came toJapan, one of the priorities was
to create these academies and try to show
people what I’ve learnt throughout my
career and what I think has served
me well to grow as a footballer.And you obviously had some of the
best training available atLa Masia...
What you learn is a way of playing football,
a way of understanding the game. You also
learn to live with others and to grow through
the passion of football and the ball. From
then on, as you work through the age
groups, you start creating your pathway.Do you still watch Barcelona regularly?
What do you make of Xavi’s work so far?
I see the highlights or the news articles. They
almost always play in the middle of the night
for me, which makes it difficult. But one way
or another, I’m always up to date.
I think it’s positive that Xavi is coach and
his first months have been positive. It’s alwaysEx-Barca team-mates...David Villa, Sergi Samper and Iniesta pose with the 2019 Emperor’s Cup
“I think it’s positive that Xavi is coach
and his first months have been positive”