Andres Iniesta has praised fellow midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who is expected to announce his departure from Barcelona this week.
Xavi, 35, is due to hold a Press conference on Thursday to confirm he will be leaving the Camp Nou after joining the club aged 11, with his likely destination believed to be Qatari outfit Al Sadd.
Iniesta, speaking at a Q&A event sponsored by Estrella Damm, answered questions sent in to him by fans on social media and said there will never be another player like his Barca teammate.
“I’ve run out of compliments. I won’t find anyone of the stature he represents, both as a person and a player,” said the Spain international.
“The statistics, the years, the feelings, his way of doing things are beyond words. He is unique, there’s nobody like him, and he’s been fundamental to Barca and the Spain national team.
“It’s been a true pleasure and a privilege to have played my entire career at his side.”
Asked if he might consider a career in coaching when he finally decides to hang up his boots, Iniesta did not rule it out.
“I didn’t think about it three or four years ago but as there is increasingly less time for me to play football it’s a situation I like more and more.
“We’ll see what happens in the future but for now I just want to enjoy the present,” he replied, before being asked about the Catalans celebrating their League title win at the weekend.
“We have celebrated it how it should be celebrated and to win it was very important for us and our fans.
“What’s imperative is the people we are inside and that we believe in something. In this sense the team has been growing and getting better all the time.
“We are going through a very good spell and the treble is now within our reach,” he maintained.
