Former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a glittering trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

Iniesta, 40, was at the heart of the Spain and Barcelona midfield during a period of sustained success for both teams in the late 2000s and early 2010s.

“Please allow me to be a little emotional today,” a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference.

“I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. Yes, all these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness.

“They are tears of that boy from a small town like Fuentealbilla, who had the dream of being a footballer and we achieved it after a lot of hard work, sacrifice… of never giving up, essential values in my life. I feel very proud of this path, with all the people who have accompanied me.”

The technically-gifted Iniesta made 131 appearances for Spain, scoring the only goal of the 2010 World Cup final with a last-gasp strike to earn his country victory over the Netherlands as they lifted the global title for the first time.

He also played a key role in Spain winning the 2008 European Championship to snap a 44-year trophy drought and was named player of the tournament when they successfully defended the title in 2012.

Born in the tiny village of Fuentealbilla, less than an hour’s drive Southeast from capital Madrid, Iniesta joined Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy at 12 years old and made 674 appearances for the Spanish side, captaining them for three seasons.

A year before becoming Spain’s World Cup final hero, Iniesta worked his magic in a Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.

His brilliant shot deep in added time secured Barca a place in the final and they went on to lift the trophy, Pep Guardiola’s first European Cup triumph as a coach.

Iniesta won nine LaLiga titles with Barca, four Champions League titles, six Copa del Rey crowns, two UEFA Super Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups, many of them alongside Xavi Hernandez, a rival for the accolade of being described as the best Spanish footballer of all time.

“One of the most magical teammates and one of those who I most enjoyed playing together, Andres Iniesta, the ball will miss you and so will we! I wish you all the best, you are a phenomenon,” former Barcelona team mate Lionel Messi wrote on social media.

Runner-up for the 2010 Ballon d’Or behind Messi, Iniesta called time on his magnificent spells with Spain and Barcelona in 2018 and moved to Japan to play for Vissel Kobe.

-Reuters

Brazil forward Vinicius Jr will miss their World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru due to injury, the Brazilian FA (CBF) said on Sunday, making him the fourth player to be replaced in the squad.

Vinicius suffered a neck injury during Real Madrid’s 2-0 home win against Villarreal on Saturday, the club said.

Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira has been called up to replace him, the CBF said in a statement.

Vinicius’ injury adds to the woes of coach Dorival Jr as Brazil, fifth in CONMEBOL’s World Cup qualifying standings with 10 points after eight matches, face Chile in Santiago on Oct. 10 before hosting Peru in Brasilia five days later.

The top six of the 10 teams qualify directly for the World Cup.

Dorival had already been forced to call up Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Beraldo, Palmeiras’ Weverton and Botafogo’s Alex Telles to replace Juventus’ Bremer, Liverpool’s Alisson and Atletico Mineiro’s Guilherme Arana, all injured.

-Reuters

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Congress rose from its Annual General Meeting in Asaba on Friday and assured the Nigerian Government of its commitment to ensure that the Super Eagles qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

 The Nigerian team has had a poor head start in the series and has not won any of the four matches. There are six more matches to be played.

 Only one of the the six teams will pick an automatic ticket even as Nigeria sat dangerously fifth in Group C. Their next match is away to group leaders, Rwanda on 17 March next year.

 Another drop of points portends deep dangers as the Super Eagles have zero option other than to win all the remaining six matches.    Two of those matches are potentially risky. These are the away duels with South Africa on 7 September and Lesotho on 5 October next year.

  Both matches will be played in South Africa which also hosts Lesotho home games apart from the fact that Lesotho is geographically completely encircled by South Africa.

  The quest to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is relatively easier as the Super Eagles are in the lead of the quartet that includes Benin Republic, Rwanda and Libya.

 Two teams will qualify. Victory over Libya in the back-to-back clashes holding in the next few days will likely qualify Nigeria for Morocco 2025.

Nigeria’s World Cup Qualifying Fixtures

• 17 March 2025 – Rwanda v Nigeria
• 24 March 2025- Nigeria v Zimbabwe
• 1 Sept. 2025 –      Nigeria v Rwanda
• 7 Sept. 2025 –     South Africa v Nigeria
• 5 Oct. 2025 –      Lesotho v Nigeria
• 12 Oct. 2025 –    Nigeria v Benin Republic

Nigeria’s AFCON Cup Qualifying Fixtures

• 10 Oct. 2024 –  Nigeria  v Libya
• 15 Oct, 2024 – Libya v Nigeria
• 11 Nov. 2024 – Benin Republic v Nigeria
• 19 Nov. 2024 –    Nigeria v Rwanda