Lionel Messi sends touching tribute as Andres Iniesta retires: 'You're a phenomenon'

Andres Iniesta has brought his playing career to a close at the age of 40, with former teammate Lionel Messi leading the tributes to the iconic midfielder.

Iniesta was Messi's teammate during each of Barcelona's four Champions League victories, in 2006, 2009, 2011, and 2015. He also famously scored the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup final and helped La Roja secure two European Championships.

The diminutive midfielder left Camp Nou in 2018, spending five seasons with Vissel Kobe in Japan before moving to Emirates Club in the UAE last season. Although he scored five league goals during his final campaign, he could not prevent the club from being relegated.

Upon reflecting on his career, Iniesta officially announced his retirement on Monday. Tributes have been pouring in from across the footballing world, with Messi's words highlighting just how revered Iniesta was.

"One of the teammates with the most magic and one of those I enjoyed playing with the most," Messi wrote on social media. "The ball is going to miss you, and so will all of us. I wish you the best always, you're a phenomenon."

Iniesta revealed his retirement through an emotional video, captioned: 'The game goes on'. The video featured tributes from several former Barcelona managers, including Luis Enrique, Louis van Gaal, and Pep Guardiola.

"Do you know what it reflects to me?" said Luis Enrique, who played alongside Iniesta at Camp Nou before managing him. "It reflects what we felt when we were kids on the street, when your mother called you after dark, when you could no longer see the ball, [shouting] 'come here, come here' - that's Andres Iniesta."

Iniesta was a pivotal figure in Guardiola's dominant Barcelona team, playing alongside Messi, Xavi, and other homegrown talents. Guardiola reflected on how Iniesta helped him during a difficult start to his managerial career.

Xavi has already been retired for some time and has embarked on his managerial career. Messi, the youngest of the trio, is still playing, now at Inter Miami in the twilight of his career – 16 years after Guardiola's Barcelona tenure began with a defeat and a draw.

"Having one of the most important talents, which was Andres, at that moment we had just one point from six and were almost in the relegation zone," Guardiola reflected. "When a player like Andres tells you that you are on the right path, people are happy.

"Everything will be fine, it will be fine. Wow. It gave me the boost of energy to keep going. I will always be grateful, very much so."