Andres Iniesta spent the defining years of his playing career at the summit of the game, anchoring one of Barcelona’s greatest sides, winning nine La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues, and scoring the extra-time goal that gave Spain its first World Cup in 2010. Now, at 42, one of the finest midfielders of his generation has chosen to begin his coaching journey with Gulf United FC in Dubai.
The club competes in the UAE First Division, a tier below the Pro League. Rather than start at an established European side or wait for a more glamorous role, Iniesta has joined a young club, founded in 2019, whose project centres on developing players and giving them a route into professional football. At his unveiling on Saturday, he explained why the UAE had become the setting for his first step into management. “It’s easy for me, for us as a family. We have been living here for three years. My last year I played here in the UAE,” he said, referring to his spell with Emirates Club. “The programme, the project is amazing. I love to work with young players and to help them improve.”
He was candid that this is the start of his own education as much as his players’. Few coaches arrive with a CV as decorated as his, yet he spoke repeatedly about the need to learn rather than assume that success on the pitch transfers to the dugout. “For me, as an individual challenge, it is amazing,” he said. “I also have to learn, I have to improve with my staff, with my players.”
The surroundings may be more modest than the stages he once graced, but his ambitions are not. “Expectations are always high. All my life I worked or played for the highest position. This has to be our mentality,” he said. “Of course it’s not easy. But I believe in our players, in the mentality they have, the quality they have. Our mentality is to win, but you are closer to winning when you are doing the right things. It’s not about luck.”
Iniesta, who has played in Spain, Japan and the UAE, also urged clubs in the country to place greater faith in Emirati players. “The quality is good. Everyone has to trust in the players,” he said, arguing that each club needs a clear project for local talent so more can reach the national team. His advice to Gulf United’s academy players was simple. “Every day you have to dream,” he said. “Enjoy and be ready to learn. Football one day can change your life, but if you are not ready, it’s impossible for your life to change.”
