Iniesta to extend contract with Barca till 2018

Spanish international Andres Iniesta, 29, has agreed to extend his contract with Barcelona till 2018, Barcelona president Sandro Rosell said.

The news put and end to speculation that the player who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final could abandon Barca when his current contract expired in 2015, or that the club could be forced to sell him next summer in order to avoid seeing him leave for nothing, reports Xinhua.

"Iniesta's extension is confirmed," Rosell told a press conference Thursday.

"We are very pleased with his renovation and I think it is a great Christmas present for all Barca fans," said Rosell, who confirmed that Iniesta will put pen to paper on his new deal Monday when the full details of the contract will be revealed.

Iniesta arrived at Barcelona in 1996 as a 12-year-old after beginning his career in the youth system of his local club Albacete and made his first team debut in 2002.

So far he has won six Primera Liga titles with Barcelona, two Copas dl Rey, three Champions League, two Club World Cups and various Supercups.

Meanwhile for Spain he has won the 2008 and 2012 European Championship, as well as the 2010 World Cup, which can be seen as the pinnacle of his career.