Barcelona sends a message to club legend Andres Iniesta after 1000th career match

In the annals of Barcelona’s history, few names resonate as much as Andres Iniesta.

Considered one of the world’s finest midfielders a decade and a half ago, the veteran midfielder has now marked a new milestone in his stellar career.

Andres Iniesta makes 1000th professional appearance

On Friday, Iniesta was part of the Emirates Club side that took on Ajman Club, in the UAE Pro League.

This was a special game for Iniesta, as it marked the 1000th professional game of his footballing career – making him one of the very few players who have achieved that feat, especially in the 21st century.

It was a bittersweet moment for Iniesta, as his team lost 2-0 and continued to languish at the rock bottom of the UAE Pro League.

Iniesta joined Emirates Club last summer summer (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

After a five-year spell at Vissel Kobe in Japan, Iniesta moved to UAE last summer, joining Emirates Club on a free transfer. Since then, the midfielder has featured in 11 competitive matches.

In total, Iniesta has featured in 869 matches for three different clubs, while 131 caps came for the Spanish national team.

Among these 869 club appearances, though, 674 of them came for FC Barcelona – making him the fourth in the list of all-time appearance makers for the Catalan outfit.

Iniesta is only beaten by his former teammates Lionel Messi, Xavi and Sergio Busquets in terms of appearances made for FC Barcelona.

Message from Barcelona

Shortly after his 1000th appearance, FC Barcelona took no time to congratulate the Spaniard.

“Congratulations on your 1000th game as a professional, Andrés! You will always be a legend at Can Barça,” the club posted on X.

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) March 1, 2024

What’s next for Iniesta?

Even at the age of 39, Iniesta is going strong and there is no reason why he should put a sudden stop to his career.

However, his contract at Emirates Club does expire at the end of the season, even though the UAE outfit have the option to extend for a further year.

If Emirates Club continue to struggle in the league, it won’t come as a surprise to see Iniesta moving on to another project this summer.