What is Andrés Iniesta's Net Worth and Salary?
Andrés Iniesta is a Spanish professional footballer who has a net worth of $120 million. Andrés Iniesta spent the majority of his career with Barcelona, helping the club win two historic trebles in 2009 and 2015, in addition to multiple La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles. Iniesta has also played for the Spanish national team, contributing to the country's victories at UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, among other tournaments.
In 2018 Andrés signed a contract with Japan's Vissel Kobe that paid $30 million per year for three years. That made him one of the 10 highest-paid soccer players in the world and one of the 50 highest-paid athletes. He signed a similarly-sized deal in August 2023 to join the UAE Pro League club Emirates.
Early Life and Youth Career
Andrés Iniesta was born on May 11, 1984 in Fuentealbilla, Spain. While playing for Albacete Balompié in a junior tournament when he was 12, he drew the attention of a number of scouts from Spanish clubs. His parents, who knew Barcelona's youth team coach Enrique Orizaola, were eventually persuaded to send Iniesta there. He went on to captain the Barcelona Under-15 team to victory in the 1999 Nike Premier Cup, scoring the winning goal in the last minute of the final.
FC Barcelona
Iniesta began his senior career with Barcelona in late 2002. His breakthrough came in the 2004-05 season, when he featured in 37 out of 38 league games as Barcelona won La Liga. Iniesta continued to develop as a player in the 2005-06 season, when he played in 11 UEFA Champions League games as Barcelona won both that tournament and another La Liga title. He went on to record his highest-scoring season yet in 2006-07. In the 2008-09 season, Iniesta contributed to a treble as Barcelona claimed La Liga, Champions League, and Copa del Rey titles. Although the club won a second consecutive La Liga title in 2009-10, Iniesta struggled with injuries and was out of the season in April.
Iniesta returned to help Barcelona win a third consecutive La Liga title in the 2010-11 season, as well as another Champions League title. After coming up short in 2011-12, he and Barcelona captured another La Liga title in the 2012-13 season. Success continued over the following years; in the 2014-15 season, Iniesta helped captain Barcelona to a second treble, making the club the first in history to win two trebles. In early 2018, he played the 650th game of his career. Iniesta left the club at the end of that season, following Barcelona's 25th overall La Liga title and 30th overall Copa del Rey title.
Vissel Kobe
After leaving Barcelona in 2018, Iniesta signed a three-year deal with the Japanese club Vissel Kobe. He made his debut in July, coming on in the second half as a substitute for Kazuma Watanabe in a 0-3 loss to Shonan Bellmare. On August 11, Iniesta scored his first J1 League goal in a 2-1 victory over Jubilo Iwata. He wouldn't win his first trophy in Japan until New Year's Day of 2020, when Japan claimed the Emperor's Cup. A month later, Iniesta helped Vissel Kobe win the Japanese Super Cup. In the spring of 2021, he signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him around for another two seasons. However, Iniesta left Vissel Kobe midway through the J1 League season in early July of 2023.
Emirates
In August of 2023, Iniesta joined the UAE Pro League club Emirates, with which he signed a one-year contract with an option to extend. He went on to make his debut in a 0-1 loss to Al Wasl. About a week later, Iniesta scored his first UAE Pro League goal in a 4-4 draw with Ajman.
Getty Images
International Career
Beyond club play, Iniesta has been highly successful playing for the Spanish national team. He made his auspicious entrance in 2001 when he helped Spain win the UEFA European Under-16 Championship. The following year, Iniesta helped his country win the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. In 2006, he played in his first FIFA World Cup. Two years later, Iniesta was integral in Spain's Euro 2008 victory. He kept his success going in 2010, helping Spain win its first-ever FIFA World Cup by scoring the winning goal in the final against Netherlands. For his performance in the final, Iniesta was named the man of the match. He earned another man of the match honor for the final of Euro 2012, which Spain won 4-0 over Italy. Iniesta went on to play for Spain in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2016, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After the latter tournament, he announced his retirement from international playing.
Sponsorships
Iniesta previously had a sponsorship deal with Nike, and appeared in commercials for the company alongside such other footballers as Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2018, he signed a sponsorship deal with Asics, and released his first signature boot the next year.
Personal Life
In the summer of 2012, Iniesta married his longtime girlfriend Anna Ortiz. Together, they have three daughters and two sons.
