Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta is set to take on his first job as a manager in the coming days. The 42-year-old retired two years ago from his playing career, and has been taking his coaching badges in the meantime.
Iniesta was not initially tipped to go into management, in the same way that teammate Xavi Hernandez always was, and had previously hinted that he would consider becoming a sporting director. The pair were recently tipped to take over in those two capacities of the Morocco national team, but that deal ended up collapsing.
Andres Iniesta to manage Gulf United
It seems that Iniesta will be returning to the Arabian peninsula though, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he will take over United Arab Emirates second division side Gulf United. The Italian transfer guru explains that the agreement is in place and that the contract signing will follow.
🚨🇦🇪 EXCL: Andrés Iniesta set to start his managerial career with first head coach job agreed.
He’s signing for Gulf United in Dubai, all agreed with signatures to follow. 👔🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/0OIy4Obooq
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2026
Iniesta’s new side were founded just seven years ago, and are based in Dubai, the capital of the UAE. It was founded by football coaches from Manchester, and has taken a special focus on youth development. Yet it appears to have some money behind it too, with a number of signings arriving from European football in recent years, including Swedish international Robin Quaison and Dutch international Leroy Fer.
Iniesta on management career
When asked months after his retirement what kind of coach he would like to be, Iniesta explained that the most important thing in his mind was the message.
“Mainly, the knowledge of what you want to do and transmit. You have to know what a dressing room is and many aspects. And above all, surround yourself with powerful people who you feel can help you.”
Flick: "Pep Guardiola? Spending 10 years at a club of Manchester City's level is incredible. I've always said he's the best in the world, and he has proved it."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) May 22, 2026
Iniesta is following a similar route into management as Xavi, albeit at a lower level, when he first took over Al-Saad in Qatar. Iniesta finished his career at Emirates FC. He will no doubt be linked with a return to Barcelona should things go well in the UAE.