Iniesta Champions League Titles

Lore & Background

Iniesta came through Barcelona's youth academy, La Masia, and was part of the team that won fourteen trophies in four years under Pep Guardiola. He was one of three players from the same academy—along with Lionel Messi and Xavi—chosen as the three best players in the world in the 2010 Ballon d'Or ranking, an unprecedented feat.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights of Rome's Olympic Stadium hummed with a nervous energy on May 27, 2009. The air was thick with anticipation as two giants of football faced off. Andrés Iniesta stood over the ball, the weight of a city and a club resting on his shoulders. With a calm that belied the chaos around him, he received a pass from Messi, turned, and unleashed a shot that sliced through the Manchester United defense. The roar that followed was not just for a goal; it was the sound of a dream realized, marking the beginning of an era where Barcelona owned Europe.

Reader's Guide

Iniesta won four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona (2006, 2009, 2011, 2015). He scored one goal in the 2011 final, a 3-1 victory over Manchester United. In the 2009 final, he assisted the first goal; the winner was scored by Lionel Messi. He did not score in the 2015 final, which Barcelona won 3-1 with goals from Ivan Rakitić, Luis Suárez, and Neymar. The 2015 title was part of a continental treble (La Liga, Copa del Rey, Champions League), not a sextuple; the sextuple was achieved in 2009.

Did You Know?

• Iniesta is one of a record six Barcelona players to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award.
• He was part of the Barcelona team that became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble in 2009.
• Iniesta's goal in the 2011 Champions League final was his only goal in a European Cup final for Barcelona.