Andres Iniesta confirms next move after retirement

Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta has revealed that he's already taken his first steps towards becoming a coach after retiring at the age of 40.

Iniesta brought an end to a glittering career for club and country earlier this month which spanned more than 23 years, 1,126 matches and one World Cup-winning goal. The trophy-laden Barcelona academy graduate spent the final six years of his career in Asia, leaving his boyhood club for Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe in 2018 before one last swansong in the UAE with Emirates.

The 40-year-old had trialed his impending retirement before officially concluding his playing career on 8 October in homage to his long-running shirt number. At a tearful ceremony, Iniesta warned: "The experience on the grass is over but I can't be far from football, which will continue to be my life."

The next step in the former great's career has now been confirmed. Iniesta posted a series of images of himself in tracksuits to confirm that he had begun a coaching course. "Thank you @uaefa for giving me the opportunity to start learning and training," he wrote.

Iniesta only reluctantly hung up his boots. "I'm quite stubborn," he said at his farewell. "I would have liked to have played until I was 90." But time waits for no man - even one who seemed to bend the clock to his will while he was on the pitch.

The former Ballon d'Or runner-up had the notion of transitioning into coaching when he moved to the UAE last summer. "The idea when we left Japan for the Emirates, in addition to being closer to Spain, was to start the coaching course there," he told the Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.

"Here in Spain, next summer, [the coaching courses] will also open. I can do both things but being in Asia would only be useful for Asia. The part of doing it in Spain is what is useful for Europe and I will try to do both things."

Iniesta thrived in Pep Guardiola's Barcelona team and has described the Manchester City manager as an "idol" in the past, but refused to name any of his coaching inspirations. The former midfielder also played down the idea of taking over Barcelona in the future.

"It is an incredible challenge for any coach and for coaches who have been players here and have had a history behind them, even more so," said Iniesta, who saw his former teammate Xavi Hernandez sacked by the club in the summer. "It is a huge challenge. But when you think as a coach you always try to be prepared for anything."

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