Andres Iniesta has reflected on the timing of his Barcelona renewal, on Manchester City’s strength and on Lionel Messi’s return.
The 29-year-old ended 2013 by penning a contract extension with the Catalans to take him through to June 2018 and end months of rumours surrounding negotiations.
“I am a very transparent person, sometimes too much with my feelings and with me,” Iniesta has considered on the issue today.
“The only issue was the timing of the signing. The only thing that bothered me was all the noise that this had caused.
“Things that came out, or that were not true, were annoying. Sometimes people read or hear things and do not know if it is true, but believe what they read. That was the negative part.
“I am grateful to the fans and am very happy that I can continue here for many years to come. I have many years left of football, I know that here I will be happy and I am grateful.”
Barca head into 2014 with a notable fixture in the Champions League on the horizon, against Manchester City.
“We know almost all of their players, we know how they play. The best we can do is be at our highest level because they are a technical team and their team is joined with strength that English teams have.
“Although they do not have many English players, that League makes you stronger physically. The most important thing is how we arrive for the tie and that we fight against a team that is very potent.
“The year ahead? We have to continue to do things in the same way as we ended the last year. Much remains so we must go game by game.
“We do not have to think beyond what is next. We are focusing on the game at the weekend and then will change for the midweek game in the Cup.”
This evening will see Lionel Messi return to training with Barcelona after an absence of nearly two months with a torn hamstring.
“We count on him for many things. You cannot evaluate the effectiveness of Leo with just numbers. It is the player, what he represents and what he does for the team.
“For me he is number one and when you have a player on the pitch with these conditions, everything is much easier.
“We have exchanged some messages and to see that he is well is great news for him first and then for the fans and the team.
“How is he? Messi is good, we will see the extent [of his recovery] when he returns to training and if he is normal or it is little by little.
“Everyone knows the importance of Leo, for all the numbers, his quality, his intimidation even. [His return] is one of the great pieces of news for today.
“Hopefully he will feel comfortable, he will have no more problems and can contribute as he always has, as the number one.”
