FCBARCELONA.CAT

25.01.2008 18:00

Born in Fuentealbilla, bread at La Masia

Jaume Marcet

Andrés Iniesta lived the key years of his training at La Masia. After standing out as a sprightly youngster of 12 at Albacete, he came to Barça to play at every youth level and then Barça B.

Andrés Iniesta is one of the most recognised products of the Barça youth system. Signed at an early age, Andrés developed his career at La Masia, eventually settling in well in Barcelona.

Star performance at Brunete

In 1996, Barça’s youth scouts compiled excellent reports of a young player named Andrés Iniesta. Albert Benaiges, now the club's youth football coordinator, was already aware of the young midfielder's potential, but it was at a seven a side tournament in Brunete that he was truly stunned. “Andrés was the leader and star of Albacete and left everybody gobsmacked with his intelligent and creative football. The biggest clubs in Spain were after his services, FC Barcelona sped things up to ensure he came to La Masia”. Benaiges added that “the decision the club made was a very good one”.

Hard to adapt

Leaving his home in Fuentealbilla to come in search of glory in Barcelona was anything but easy for Andrés Iniesta. It is hard to be taken away from your family when you are just 12 and there were a lot of tears. Iniesta told Barça TV about the experience in the year 2001. “I did not enjoy my first years at the club, I was very young and for much of the time I felt very lonely, but thanks to the support of my friends and coaches, I made it”. One of his earliest coaches, Juan Carlos Pérez Rojo, said once that “because of his character, coming from Albacete to Barcelona wasn’t easy. He is a shy person and you can’t get many words out of him, but he is a very intelligent player and person, and that’s why he never let any of that get in his way”.