Iniesta extends contract with Barca until June 2018

Barcelona star Andres Iniesta has reportedly signed a new deal with the Spanish giants that will see him stay on with his boyhood club until the end of June 2018.

Iniesta, regarded as one of the international football's most gifted and versatile players, was first spotted by Barcelona scouts in 1996 and made his debut for the first team in 2002, following which he was part of a side that has won six Spanish league titles, lifted Spain's Copa del Rey twice and won the European Champions League title three times.

According to CNN, Iniesta confirmed his deal extension on his Twitter page, saying that it was a 'magical day' for him and thanked the club for the love it has given him since he arrived at the age of 12.

Barcelona said in a statement that Iniesta was due to end his contract in 2015, adding that this extension until 2018 means the midfielder will have spent more than half of his life on the club's books.

The statement further said that from 2017/18, Iniesta's contract would be automatically extended provided he has appeared in a certain number of matches over the course of the season just ended.