Andres Iniesta Hoping to Return to Barcelona 'To Add What I Have Learned'

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta has revealed his ambition of returning to the club in some capacity.

Iniesta left his boyhood club for Japanese side Vissel Kobe last summer, but when he hangs up his boots, he'd like to head back to the Camp Nou.

Asked by Sport's Jordi Gil if he and the other former members of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona side could take charge at the club, he said:

"It's a nice idea. The future will reveal where we all have to be. We have the affection of the fans because we spent a lot of time here.

"In my case, I would like to add what I have learned and been shown. I don't know in what capacity, if I will be ready, who will be at the club. It's all hypothesis. We will see."

Guardiola managed the team from 2008 to 2012. The likes of Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Sergio Busquets remain at the club, but key players such as Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol have either moved on or retired from the game in the years since.

All graduates of Barca's La Masia academy, they have been the embodiment of the club's philosophies on the pitch, and few can rival Iniesta's achievements with the Catalan giants:

Although talent as a player does not necessarily translate into coaching, Iniesta was outstanding for Barcelona and could have much to impart.

He was one of Barca's most intelligent and technically gifted players in his day:

At the age of 34, he's not quite the force he once was, but he's shown he still has the ability to create moments of magic with Kobe:

The Spaniard is concentrating on finishing his playing career before deciding on his next step.

Asked if he could become an assistant to Guardiola, who is now manager of Manchester City, he said:

"It's not a question of if I can see it or not, the truth is that I have not thought about it. I don't know what will happen in the next few years.

"For now, I am focused on being a footballer in another country, playing in another championship. When that is no longer the case, you think about other things."

Should Iniesta go down the path of coaching when he retires, rather than adopting a different behind-the-scenes role, he could perhaps hope for no one better to hone his craft under than Guardiola.

Whatever he chooses to do, it seems his days of contributing to Barcelona's success are not yet over.