Iniesta Opens Up: ‘When I Couldn’t Take It Anymore, I Asked for Help’ and His Verdict on Rodri
One of the greatest players ever to wear the Barcelona shirt has broken his silence, revealing more clearly than ever a dark period he lived through at the height of his glory, when he reached a point where he could no longer cope and made a decision he now says changed his life completely.
The confession did not stop there. He also gave a blunt verdict on an unexpected signing he believes has lifted the current Barcelona, and took a striking stance on a sensitive case that keeps fuelling the war between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The man behind these words is legend Andrés Iniesta, who spoke at the opening of the “Iniesta Experience, El Joc Interior” exhibition in Barcelona despite the rain and bad weather, as reported by Spanish newspaper Sport on Sunday.
Iniesta, 42, who now coaches Gulf United, said that seeing the journey of his own life in front of him is deeply moving: “We all go through different moments and stages. When I see things from the past or old memories, it moves me. I don’t want to be an example of anything, I just want to share what I lived.”
The Blaugrana legend said he still carries a lot of the boy from Fuentealbilla inside him, explaining that he has always tried never to stop doing the things that 12-year-old boy loved.
Talking about the hardest chapter of his life, Iniesta opened up about his mental health struggles: “In my time it was much more of a taboo, but personally I tried to treat it naturally, in the good and the not so good. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I asked for help. It was a necessity, because I couldn’t see a way out of that difficult moment, and that process made me a better person.”
He said he is trying to apply those lessons in his new coaching career, stressing that a coach wins over his players through direct human contact more than through hierarchy.
On Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, Iniesta said watching the team gives him peace of mind as a fan, because he knows he will enjoy the style of play and that the team will compete for every trophy, adding that he hopes this generation can win as much as the great teams of the past, or even more.
Iniesta also highlighted the impact of Rodri, whom he described as an unexpected signing: “Without a doubt, Rodri raises the level of the team, with his career and the way he understands football. I think he is a key piece, and I hope this step up in quality brings the team even closer to titles. This Barça is an improvement on the Barça of recent years.”
Asked about the Ballon d’Or, Iniesta preferred not to name anyone, saying the winner is always a deserving one, but added that he would like the award to go to a Spanish player.
Finally, Iniesta defended the titles won by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona against Real Madrid’s accusations in the Negreira case, saying he does not have much of an opinion on it, and that all he knows as a club legend is that the team won everything on the pitch, while whatever happens off it must be resolved off it.
