sportbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Andres Iniesta's Legendary Barcelona Career Nearly Didn't Happen

Andres Iniesta's Legendary Barcelona Career Nearly Didn't Happen

He was close to leaving the club in 2004...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Andres Iniesta is on the verge of ending his trophy-laden stint with his beloved Barcelona but his career could have gone in a very different direction 14 years ago.

Iniesta joined the club's youth ranks as a 12-year old and played nine times under Louis van Gaal in 2002/03.

He made 17 appearances in total the following season but starts were hard to come by, a 20-year old Iniesta managed just five in La Liga and struggled to nail down a starting spot.

With his first-team future under threat, Real Betis expressed an interest in the midfielder, as per Mundo Deportivo.

Their manager at the time, Llorenç Serra Ferrer, had managed Barcelona for a year in the 2000/2001 campaign and though Iniesta was only around 16 at the time, clearly he had caught the eye.

According to the report, Ferrer spoke with Iniesta's father and Barcelona's director of football, Txiki Begiristain over the possibility of him joining the Andalusian outfit and the Spaniard was said to be close to joining before opting to stay put.

Image: PA
Image: PA

It would be fair to say that the decision proved to be the correct one as Iniesta quickly established himself as a key player at the Nou Camp, going up to a new level completely under Pep Guardiola when he arrived in 2008.

The World Cup winner has been instrumental in eight La Liga titles (soon to be nine), four Champions Leagues and six Copa Del Rey victories - the latest being last Saturday when he skippered Barca to a 5-0 thrashing of Athletic Bilbao at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Iniesta scored a lovely goal after being set up by Lionel Messi and the Argentine was responsible for a brilliant gesture after the game when he broke the usual tradition of Barca having two captains lifting trophies - letting Iniesta collect the bit of silverware on his own.

The China-bound 33-year old is to officially announce his Nou Camp departure in a press conference on Friday and it's sure to be an emotional one.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football, Barcelona, Andres Iniesta, La Liga