Andres Iniesta: Barcelona dependence on Lionel Messi ‘a reality’

How do you get on with Lionel Messi? It seems like you have a great personal relationship with him.

Yes, I do have a great relationship with him. He’s a shy guy, but when he’s not playing football, in the dressing room he’s always playing pranks. We are like a family, in that we see each other every day, for many hours, in the dressing room and outside. He’s a lovely person.

It’s widely felt that Barcelona are too dependent on Messi. What do you say to that?

Yes, well, that’s a reality – Leo is fundamental for the team. He’s the number one player in the world and scores lots of goals.

The most important thing is he feels that he needs the team, and the team needs him to be better as well. It’s about teamwork, because in the end we all have the same mission to win titles.

You’ve apparently been learning English, is that true? And does that mean you might fancy a move to England some day?

Yes, it’s true , although in school I learned English too. Then you finish college and you leave it behind and it gets forgotten. I can understand it but it’s a bit difficult for me to speak it. It’s something that I would like to improve in the future and to be able to speak it more fluently.

And yes, of course I watch the English Premiership. I like football anywhere in any country. I haven’t any ambition to go abroad, but in the future we don’t know what might happen. It will be my performance and the way I play football that will dictate what’s going to happen in the end and what path I follow.

Tell me about your experiences in, and memories of, the Middle East?

I played in the UAE in the under-20 World Cup [Spain lost 1-0 to Brazil in the final] and recently in Qatar [in February 2013] with the national team. These are countries where I have felt very comfortable and at home, and where the people have treated me very well. I know the passion for football is very great in the Middle East and I look forward to returning there soon.

The Xavi-Iniesta axis has been so vital for Spain and Barcelona for the last few years, so it must be unthinkable for you not playing with your midfield partner in crime in the future?

Well, I think time is going against us. The years are passing and we are becoming older. But I will keep the memory of what I am enjoying right now, of playing on instinct with him, and let the future come.

What’s your favourite goal you have scored?

Well, I have scored two very important goals: The one that won the 2010 World Cup final and the one in the semi-final of the 2009 Champions League for Barcelona at Chelsea. Those were the most important goals for me and for many people, as they were for my national team and for my club side.

I hope in the future I will score other goals of such importance, but every goal is important, whether it has a small or big relevance.