Andres Iniesta wished to play for Mohun Bagan! Why the Kolkata club rejected Iniesta's wish?

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Andres Iniesta is regarded as a wizard of modern football. The legendary midfielder has honed his supreme skills at the highest level of football for a long time and has been a stellar figure for Barcelona.

From scoring the winning goal for Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final, to winning multiple Champions League and La Liga titles with Barcelona, the crafty Spaniard has won the biggest accolades the game presents to a player.

The 39-year-old currently plays for UAE UAE-based outfit named Emirates Club as he joined them this summer. Iniesta left Japanese club Vissel Kobe in July this year after a five-year-long stint with them, and has now joined another Asian club to showcase his footballing prowess.

But could things be different? Did the Indian fans get denied from watching Iniesta week in week out? At least the reports emerging give this jaw-dropping indication.

Andreas Iniesta reportedly wished to play for ISL champions Mohun Bagan Super Giants, but the Indian club had no option but reject his proposal. The former Spain international sent a message to the club through his agent and wished to play for the Kolkata team.

Why Mohun Bagan rejected Iniesta's proposal?

But Mohun Bagan had to send a rejection from their side. And the reason for Mohun Bagan's denial is quite disappointing as well.

After listening to Iniesta's interest, the Kolkata club sent an enquiry about Andres Iniesta's wage. And the reply from the other side was demoralizing for the age-old Kolkata outfit.

Iniesta demanded an annual wage of USD 8 million, which is more than INR 65 crores. His sky high financial package was way beyond Mohun Bagan's annual budget, hence the club had to reluctantly move away from the Iniesta deal.

Iniesta not coming is a loss for ISL and Indian Football

It would have been such a spectacle for ISL to have a stalwart like Andres Iniesta, but financial constraints in the league depict how long they will have to still walk to compete with the middle-east clubs.

Also, the mere presence of Andres Iniesta would have done wonders for the Indian footballers. They would have learnt a lot, not just in terms of football, but also about the mentality. approach and dedication to the game from that legend. And the youngsters could have been greatly helped by Iniesta's guidance.