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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 appeared as though the Spanish football legend had come out of retirement to join Rangers at Ibrox.
Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish had previously revealed how close the club came to signing a young Andres Iniesta from Barcelona.
Recently, some Rangers fans were briefly fooled by a headline that read, “Andres Iniesta has signed for Rangers FC,” which led many to believe the Spanish icon was making an unexpected return to football in Scotland.
However, upon closer inspection, 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 real Andres Iniesta retired last year after his final playing stint in the UAE with Emirates, concluding a legendary career that included nine La Liga titles, four Champions League trophies with Barcelona, and a World Cup and two European Championships with Spain.
In a 2017 interview, McLeish recalled how Iniesta had caught his attention back in 2004, when Rangers were looking for a replacement for Barry Ferguson, who had moved to Blackburn. With the help of his assistant Jan Wouters’ contacts, McLeish sought a talented playmaker.
Their search led them to Barcelona’s Camp Nou, where Wouters had a link to then-manager Frank Rijkaard. A potential loan deal for Iniesta seemed promising, but just a week later, the club’s inquiry led to Iniesta being promoted to the Barcelona first team.
McLeish shared, “Jan Wouters called Henk ten Cate, Rijkaard’s assistant at Barcelona. Jan asked if there was anyone we could get, and they mentioned a young player named Iniesta, who was only 18 at the time.
We inquired about bringing him to Scotland, but they said they would try to get him over to us. They mentioned that Iniesta needed some game time.”
