| Iniesta | ||
 | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrés Iniesta Luján | |
| Date of birth | May 11, 1984 | |
| Place of birth | Fuentealbilla, Albacete, Spain | |
| Height | 1. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Fuentealbilla is a Municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. Albacete is a city and Municipality in southeastern Spain, 278 km southeast of Madrid the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. 70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1] | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | FC Barcelona | |
| Number | 8 | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2000–2002 2002– | FC Barcelona B FC Barcelona | 35 (3) 157 (12)[2] |
| National team2 | ||
| 2006– | Spain | 23 (4) |
1 Senior club appearances and goals | ||
Andrés Iniesta Luján (born May 11, 1984 in Fuentealbilla, Albacete) is a Spanish midfielder currently playing for Barcelona. Events 330 - Byzantium is renamed ''Nova Roma'' during a dedication ceremony but is more popularly referred to as Constantinople Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Fuentealbilla is a Municipality in Albacete, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. Albacete is a city and Municipality in southeastern Spain, 278 km southeast of Madrid the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. For the Australian Rules position see Midfielder (Australian Rules.
Contents |
Club career
At the age of 12, Iniesta was spotted by Barça scouts at his local club Albacete Balompié. Albacete Balompié is a Spanish football team formed on August 2 1940 and is based in Albacete. He was switftly signed and worked his way up the club ranks. Louis van Gaal handed him his debut on 29 October, 2002, a UEFA Champions League game against Club Brugge KV. Aloysius Paulus Maria "Louis" van Gaal (born August 8, 1951 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager currently in charge Events 437 - Valentinian III, Western Roman Emperor, marries Licinia Eudoxia, daughter of his cousin Theodosius II See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club ||-||-||} Club Brugge KV is a Football club from Bruges in Belgium. He appeared eleven times in the league in 2003-04, mostly as a deputy for Camp Nou favourite Ronaldinho, as Barça sealed second place, scoring once. The Camp Nou (kam ˈnɔw Catalan for "new field" often erroneously called the Nou Camp in both Spanish and English) is a football Ronaldo de Assis Moreira (born March 21 1980 in Porto Alegre) commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer
In the 2004-05 season Iniesta successfully secured a permanent slot in the first team and figured in 37 of 38 league games - more than any other player. He displayed an unselfish attitude by regularly aiding strikers Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldinho but performed poorly in front of goal - denied by the woodwork on several occasions, he found the net just twice. Samuel Eto'o Fils (born March 10, 1981 in Douala) is a Cameroonian football striker who plays for Spanish La Liga club
Iniesta's improvement as a player continued in the 2005-06 and because of the absence of Xavi due to injury, he was given regular starts in midfield. Xavier Hernández Creus (born January 25 The increased playing time offered to him at the highest level gave him the opportunity to blossom into a superb midfielder. His contribution to the team was praised by Coach Frank Rijkaard. Franklin Edmundo "Frank" Rijkaard (born September 30 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football manager and former player However, his call up to the Spanish squad for the World Cup came as a surprise to football pundits. The Spanish National Football Team, commonly referred to as La Selección, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the es [[Spanish The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament
On August 22, 2006 Andres lifted the Joan Gamper Trophy as the captain of the team after defeating German side Bayern München 4-0. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The Joan Gamper Trophy ( Torneig Joan Gamper) is an annual pre-season football competition hosted by FC Barcelona FC Bayern München is a German Sports club based in Munich, Bavaria (München Bayern
His current contract with FC Barcelona ends in June of 2014. [3] On July 19th he was linked with a move to rivals Real Madrid. Reports in newspapers suggested Real was prepared to pay 60 million euros for him [4] which would trigger his release clause. However, he reiterated his desire to remain with Barça by saying "I can’t do anything about it but I’d like to insist once again that I want to stay here. When I say I want to retire in Barça, I say it with all my heart. " [5]
National team
Iniesta burst on to the international scene in 2001, helping Spain win the UEFA European Under-16 Championship, and was in the squad that claimed the UEFA European Under-19 Championship the following year. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Union of European Football Associations (Union des associations européennes de football is the administrative and controlling body for European football. In 2003 he formed part of the Spanish side that reached the FIFA World Youth Championship final in the United Arab Emirates, and was named in the FIFA all-star team. The FIFA U-20 World Cup, until 2005 known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, is the world championship of Association football for male players under the age of The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football)
He has captained the Spain U21s side on several occasions. The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the
Iniesta's mother used to work as a maid in Hotel Rambla, and his father is a retired lawyer who now handles Iniesta's club career choices. Iniesta has a cousin named Javier Gaston Alberto who is 14 years old and currently plays as a striker for one of the Barcelona juvenile teams and is considered a hot prospect for the future.
He was called up to represent Spain at the World Cup 2006 on May 15 2006. The Spanish National Football Team, commonly referred to as La Selección, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the es [[Spanish The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament Iniesta won his first cap for Spain when he was brought on at half-time in a friendly against Russia on the 27th of May, 2006. A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports The Spanish National Football Team, commonly referred to as La Selección, is the national football team of Spain and is controlled by the es [[Spanish The Russia national football team (Сборная России по футболу is the national football team of Russia controlled by the Football Union of
He scored his first goal for Spain in a friendly against England on February 7 2007. The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football Spain took the lead on 63 minutes when Iniesta thumped home a right-footed shot in off the crossbar from the right-side of the box after David Villa's cross was flicked into his path. David Villa Sánchez (born December 4, 1981 in Langreo, Asturias, Spain) nicknamed El Guaje ( The Kid
Iniesta played a pivotal part in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008 by scoring goals against the likes of Sweden and by assisting the strikers. Iniesta usually played in the middle of the park, but he was also trusted with roles further up the pitch when Spain was away from home, most notably in the game against Denmark where he was given an unfamiliar left wing position. Despite playing on the left, Iniesta proved that he could succeed by crossing the ball for strikers to score.
All-Time Club Performance
Stats accurate as of May 17, 2008[6]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[7] | Europe[8] | Club World Cup | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FC Barcelona | 2002-03 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 2 | |
| 2004-05 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 2 | |
| 2005-06 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| 2006-07 | 37 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 56 | 9 | |
| 2007-08 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 4 | |
| Career totals | 155 | 12 | 24 | 2 | 45 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 226 | 18 | |
Trophies
FC Barcelona
- 2006-07
Supercopa de España - 2005-06
UEFA Champions League - 2005-06 La Liga
- 2005-06 Supercopa de España
- 2004-05 La Liga
Spain
- UEFA Under-16 Championship winner
- UEFA Under-19 Championship winner
- Finalist with the Spanish team to the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship
References
- ^ Barcelona site
- ^ ESPN (Last updated: 25 Jun 2007)
- ^ www.footballdatabase.com
- ^ Real Madrid chasing Barcelona midfielder Iniesta
- ^ FCBarcelona.cat
- ^ ESPN Soccernet
- ^ Includes Supercopa de España
- ^ Includes UEFA Supercup
External links
- Andrés Iniesta FIFA competition record
- Profile on the official club website
- Iniesta at Official FC Barcelona UK Penya
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