Iniesta: I would like it if La Masia carried my name, but...

Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images

The Barcelona legend said in a way it wouldn’t be right

Barcelona legend Andrés Iniesta has spoken with the team’s YouTube channel about his former teammate’s suggestion that La Masia should be named after him.

Ivan Rakitić had earlier said that Barcelona’s youth development facility should carry Iniesta’s name, possibly unaware that it is already dedicated to Oriol Tort, a Barcelona player in the 40s who was famous for pushing youth development.

“I would like it [if it was named after me] for what La Masia signifies for me, for what it represents, for everything. When you talk about La Masia at Barça, you are talking about important words,” the Vissel Kobe midfielder said.

“But at the same time, I wouldn’t like it because so many players have passed through, so many people, who are equally as important as me. So it would be a difficult situation,” Iniesta reflected.

“At La Masia I grew, I was forced to mature... I remember many teammates, directors, cooks...

“You are forged. Your character, your traits, your virtues, your defects... I learned a lot of solidary, a lot of humility, a lot of respect, and a lot of camaraderie, values that I love and I try not to lose,” he said.

Source: barcablaugranes.com