Iniesta's World Cup-winning goal carried a message for a lost friend
When Andrés Iniesta scored the goal that won Spain the 2010 World Cup final against the Netherlands, he lifted his shirt to reveal words written underneath: Dani Jarque, always with us. His close friend had died the previous August, and the grief had quietly derailed Iniesta's whole season.
Jarque, also a footballer, died on 8 August 2009. In the months that followed, Iniesta struggled privately; even when fit he sometimes could not finish a training session. He sought help, including from the psychologist Inma Puig, and later described the final as the most important moment of his career, saying that being a good person mattered more than any team colours.
He grew up in Fuentealbilla, a village in Albacete province with so few pitches that he mostly played futsal. Scouts noticed him at 12 in a seven-a-side tournament, and a family acquaintance on Barcelona's youth staff, Enrique Orizaola, persuaded his parents to visit La Masia, the farmhouse that housed the club's young players. Iniesta later said he cried rivers the day he left home.
His first-team debut came at 18 on 29 October 2002, away to Club Brugge. Under Pep Guardiola he formed, with Xavi and Sergio Busquets, one of the most admired midfields in the sport. In the 2009 Champions League semi-final at Stamford Bridge he curled a stoppage-time equaliser from 25 yards with the outside of his right foot, sending Barcelona through on away goals; Alex Ferguson then named him the main threat before the final. Over 22 years at the club he won 33 trophies, among them nine league titles and four Champions Leagues, the most by any Spanish footballer.
For Spain he played every game of the Euro 2008 triumph, finished runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2010 Ballon d'Or, and was player of the tournament at Euro 2012, earning 131 caps in all. He moved to Vissel Kobe in Japan in 2018, then the United Arab Emirates, retiring in October 2024.
Source: Andrés Iniesta
