Iniesta statue to be made in his homeland in Albacete

A statue of FC Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta is to be sculpted in his home province of Albacete as a tribute to his tremendous contribution to the Spanish region's reputation over the years.

According to an espnfc report, Mayor Manuel Serrano announced the plan on Twitter, explaining that the sculpture would serve as a "deserved acknowledgement of Iniesta," who he said has "carried the name of Albacete with pride all over the world."

According to Spanish daily sports AS, the statue is likely to find its place in Abelardo Sanchez park in Albacete.

A local artist will be tasked to build the statue, with the name of the winning sculptor to be announced in February 2019, with the project then due for completion and inauguration in July 2020.

"Andres represents the values of the Albacete society which are humility, simplicity and effort," Mayor Serrano was quoted as saying by espnfc.

Speaking at a news conference, Iniesta's father, Jose Antonio, said: "We only have words of thanks for this nice detail (...) from the Albacete city council."

"He (Andres) is an ambassador for this region and this is a nice human gesture. We are thrilled and can only say thanks."

In his two decade long stint with the Catalan giants, Iniesta bagged countless trophies -- and he is the man who delivered Spain their first-ever World Cup with an extra time winner in the final in 2010.

--IANS

dm/tri/bg