Andres Iniesta signs 'lifetime contract' with Barcelona

The club captain has been holding contract negotiations with the Catalan giants all season and has now pledged his allegiance in the most emphatic fashion.

Barcelona posted a statement on their website to announce the news of Iniesta's significant new deal.

"Andres Iniesta signed a lifetime contract with FC Barcelona on Friday, in a deal that will keep him at the club for the rest of his career.

"The midfielder joined the club in September 1996, at the age of 12. The signing will take place at Camp Nou."

The 33-year-old has scored 55 goals for the club after making his debut on October 29, 2002 and become one of its most iconic stars.

Iniesta and Lionel Messi share the record for the most titles in the club's history, with 30.

The Spain midfielder's current contract was set to expire in June 2018 so fans had been eagerly anticipating a new deal for a long while. Iniesta caused a lot of concern at the club by suggesting that he could leave at the end of his previous contract in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais in August, but it turns out that was nothing more than a proverbial bargaining chip.

What exactly is a "lifetime contract"? Basically, it seems that Iniesta will simply remain at the club until he chooses to retire, but what control the head coach or club chiefs will have over that decision is very uncertain. The most likely scenario is that he will continue for a few more years then be moved into a coaching role of some kind. Either way, this is wonderful PR for the club and the fans are delighted.