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Deal Done: Rangers FC have successfully signed the sensational Barcelona teenage star, leaving Ibrox fans stunned and doing a double take.
At first glance, it seemed as though the Spanish football legend had come out of retirement to join Rangers at Ibrox.
Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish had previously shared how close the club came to signing a young Andres Iniesta from Barcelona.
Recently, some Rangers fans were momentarily tricked by a headline that read, “Andres Iniestra has signed for Rangers FC,” which led many to believe the Spanish icon had made a surprise return to football in Scotland.
Upon closer inspection, however, it became clear that the name was spelled differently and the signing wasn’t for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership. Instead, it was a 28-year-old Mexican midfielder with a nearly identical name who had joined Andorran club Ranger’s FC from Cancun.
Fans across the UK reacted on social media, with one saying, “I thought Andres Iniesta was signing for Glasgow Rangers,” while another added, “They thought they were getting the real one,” and a third commented, “Wait… I had to read that a few times.”
The actual Andres Iniesta retired last year after his final playing stint in the UAE with Emirates, concluding a remarkable career that included nine La Liga titles, four Champions Leagues with Barcelona, and a World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.
In a 2017 interview, McLeish recalled how the young Iniesta had been brought to his attention in 2004 as Rangers sought a replacement for Barry Ferguson, who had moved to Blackburn. McLeish, with the help of his assistant Jan Wouters’ contacts, aimed to find a talented playmaker.
Their search led them to Barcelona’s Camp Nou, where Wouters had a connection with then-manager Frank Rijkaard. A potential loan deal for Iniesta seemed promising, but the club’s inquiry ended up promoting him to the Barcelona first team just a week later.
McLeish shared, “Jan Wouters called Henk ten Cate, who was Rijkaard’s assistant at Barcelona. Jan asked if there was anyone we could get, and they mentioned a young player called Iniesta, who was only 18 at the time.
We inquired about bringing him to Scotland, but they said they would try to make things happen for Barcelona and get him over to us. They mentioned that Iniesta needed some game time.”
