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Andres Iniesta Opens Up On His Depression Before 2010 World Cup Win

Eoin Lyons
By Eoin Lyons
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The 2010 World Cup final was one of the highlights of Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta's career. The Barcelona man was instrumental in his team's match against the Netherlands, scoring the only goal of the game in extra time as Spain won their first World Cup.

In the celebrations after the strike Iniesta took off his jersery to reveal a vest which read "Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros" which translates as "Dani Jarque, always with us".

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In the build up to the tournament Iniesta was still reeling from the loss of his friend Dani Jarque. The Espanyol footballer died of a heart attack at the age of 26 whilst on pre-season duty with his club, and Iniesta revealed the impact his friend's death had on his mental health in an interview with  Antena 3 TV:

You feel that it's not you, that you don't enjoy things, that the people around you are just peopleYou have no feelings or passion.

You end up feeling empty inside and there is a moment that you realise that you cannot take it anymore.

Iniesta went onto say that he had to seek professional help in order to get over the death of his friend:

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I had the ability to see that I needed to see someone to get out of that situation. The important thing is that in that period I never lost the spark.

Iniesta recently left Barcelona after a trophy laden 16 season with the La Liga champions and the player revealed before his last game for the club how difficult it would be to leave the side he joined as a 12-year-old:

Being honest, it's really difficult. It's hard to accept it after all this time. I'm trying to enjoy it. I'll try to enjoy Sunday when I say goodbye to what's been my home. It's very emotional.

The midfielder has since joined Japanese outfit Vissel Kobe and the 34-year-old is set to pull the curtain down on a glittering international career this summer with Spain in the World Cup.

See Also: Watch: Xavi In Tears As Iniesta Speech Marks End Of An Era

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