Andrés Iniesta, imminent debut
Andres Iniesta He will debut this Friday as coach at the head of the Gulf United FChis first team on the bench after ending his career as a footballer in 2024, in a new professional stage that has begun in the United Arab Emirates.
The man from La Mancha, world champion with Spain and Barcelona legend, thus begins his career on the bench just two years after retiring as a footballer in the Emirates, where he played the last stage of his career at the Emirates Club. Iniesta joined Gulf United last June after obtaining the A Coaching License and is continuing his training to obtain the Pro License.
The former Spanish international will direct his first official match at 7:05 p.m. (local time/3:05 p.m. GMT) against Dibba Al Fujairah, at the New Dibba Stadium, on the first day of the UAE First Division, the second category of Emirati football. Iniesta’s rival will also be one of those recently relegated from the top category and one of the contenders for promotion.
“I’m really looking forward to Friday. We’ve been working with the team for several weeks on a clear idea of the game and now it’s time to compete. Starting against a rival that comes from First Division is a nice challenge and will be a good measure to know where we are,” Iniesta said.
Its premiere will occur in a project especially focused on training. Gulf United, founded in Dubai in 2019, has achieved two promotions to reach the First Division.
The club stands out for working with young footballers and has the youngest average age squad in the category, a context that fits with Iniesta’s intention to begin his career as a coach from the individual development of the players.
“The important thing for us is not only the result, but confirming that the players grow game by game. That is the project: developing footballers with special attention to each person,” said Iniesta. He will be accompanied on his coaching staff by Juan Carlos Calero and Davide Mariani as assistants, Alex Gregorio as goalkeeping coach, Sergio Hidalgo as analyst and Dylan Palmer as physical trainer.
For Iniesta, the match marks the first step in a new professional career in the same country where he ended his time as a player. After more than 1,000 official matches between clubs and national teams, a World Cup, two European Championships and four Champions Leagues, the former midfielder now faces from the bench a path that he has decided to begin far from the big spotlight and with a project focused on training footballers.
