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On a week in which one of the country’s brightest stars picked up one of the biggest individual awards in world soccer, Spain football legend Andres Iniesta has joined the 2030 FIFA World Cup combined bid as an ambassador upon his retirement this month.
“Supporting this bid as an Ambassador was an easy choice for me,” Iniesta said. “If successful, this would be the first ever FIFA World Cup to be hosted in Morocco and Portugal and the first in Spain for almost 50 years. So for the vast, vast majority of people from these countries, this will be their first experience of welcoming the world. … With the ambition of the bid from Morocco, Portugal and Spain, I am convinced that this opportunity will be seized.”
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Iniesta talked through the 2030 FIFA World Cup bid organization this week as Rodri, a midfielder standout for Spain and Manchester City in the Premier League, was named the men’s Ballon d’Or. Spain’s Aitana Bonmatí also won the women’s award at the star-studded ceremony in Paris after helping Barcelona win the Spanish league, the Spanish cup and the Champions League.
In 16 years at Barcelona, Iniesta won a total of 35 trophies, including nine La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. Since leaving Barcelona in 2018, Iniesta played in Japan and the UAE before retiring at the age of 40.
Iniesta’s most memorable goal was with the Spanish national side, scoring in extra time to beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the 2010 FIFA World Cup final with a team that was almost completely dominated by players from Barcelona and Real Madrid, bitter rivals in La Liga. The World Cup trophy was bookended by Euro titles in 2008 and 2012.
“For it to end that way, with my goal in the final, is of course very special, but it was an amazing team effort that got us there,” Iniesta said. “Whatever club differences there are, or personal rivalries, when you are playing for your national team, nothing else matters. You think only about the people you are representing … That is what makes international football so special and the FIFA World Cup a tournament like no other.”
FIFA plans to have the 2030 World Cup in three continents and six countries after the unprecedented announcement of having Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay each host one game before the rest of the tournament heads to Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982 while Morocco’s role will make it the second African country to host World Cup matches after South Africa in 2010. It will be the first time World Cup matches are held in Portugal. FIFA will formally ratify the bid in December.
“In some respect, it is difficult to imagine what the tournament will look like and how it will impact the world of football,” Iniesta said. “It would be the first FIFA World Cup to take place across continents, and across such diverse cultures too. That is important to me.”
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