Andres Iniesta: I didn't want to move to Barcelona
ByFootballEspana
Updated 21/03/2017 at 11:31 GMT
Andres Iniesta has revealed he did not want to move to Barcelona when he was youngster.
Barcelona's midfielder Andres Iniesta celebrates Paris Saint-Germain's own goal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on March 8, 2017.
Image credit: AFP
The 32-year-old moved to Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy at the age of 12 from Fuentealbilla in Albacete, and revealed in an interview with now BeIN Sports’ Jorge Valdano that he found the switch very difficult.
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Barcelona's midfielder Andres Iniesta vies with Valencia's Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo (R) and Valencia's Argentinian midfielder Enzo Perez (L) during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Valencia CF at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona
Image credit: AFP
“In my case, my first response was that I didn’t want to join [Barca] because I put my family bond before going to a place so far away and without them,” began the midfielder.
“My father made me see it as a challenge. I told him that I’d take the step and tough it out for a year.
“After that, they were the worst months of my life as a person, but with the help of everyone it was much better.
“That day, when the four of us went, my parents, my grandfather and I, the trip was tremendous.
That night, I stayed at La Masia and they went to the hotel. It was one of the worst nights.
However, the 32-year-old revealed that his hunger to become a professional footballer drove him on.
“The challenge was not to fail, not to fail my family, myself, the challenge that if I had made that decision [of becoming a footballer], I’d go all the way with it.
“I’ve always said that my dream as a child was to be a footballer. I had no other aspiration."
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