• Spaniard confirms the news at media event in Barcelona
• ‘I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it’

The former Barcelona and Spain midfielder Andrés Iniesta announced his retirement on Tuesday after a trophy-laden career spanning 24 years.

“Please allow me to be a little emotional today …” a tearful Iniesta, who most recently played for Emirates Club in the United Arab Emirates, told a press conference. “I never thought this day would come. I never imagined it. Yes, all these tears we have shed these days are tears of emotion, of pride. They are not tears of sadness.

More details to follow …