Andres Iniesta has been awarded with the Sporting Merit Medal of Honour.

Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez presented that award to Iniesta during his visit to Spain’s World Cup training session on Tuesday, June 5. “We all remember your goal in Johannesburg, when you showed what a great person you are with your celebration to another great sportsperson who is no longer with us,” Sanchez said, in reference to Iniesta’s tribute to Dani Jarque who passed away in 2009. “These are the values that you and your colleagues represent and they should be an example for all kids.”

Iniesta who recently joined after a 22-year career at Barcelona dedicated the award to his colleagues. ”I want to thank my teammates at club and international level because a large part of this medal is down to then,” he said. The Spain players had a busy Tuesday in camp. They posed for the official team photo for the World Cup and also had a visit from FIFA’s anti-doping inspectors ahead of the day’s training session.

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