The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid is one of the greatest in football history, but one Blaugrana star was previously a Los Blancos fan.
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Not many would expect that of all people, club captain Andres Iniesta openly outed himself as Madridista as a youngster.
As ESPN''s Spanish expert Graham Hunter explains, Iniesta was a fan of Albacete, the nearest club to his home-town Fuentealbilla, as well as Barcelona's Dream Team coached by the late Johan Cruyff.
But after Cruyff's famous side, with stars such as former Mamelodi Sundowns coach Hristo Stoichkov and Ronald Koeman thrashed his beloved Albacete 7-1 in April 1991, Iniesta switched allegiances.
Two years later, his all-time favourite footballer Michael Laudrup left the Catalan giants and joined Real, and Iniesta became a die-hart Los Blancos fan.
Even though he was scouted by the Catalan giants, he said in his very earliest television interview as a La Masia (Barcelona's famous youth academy) youngster, in the late 1990s, "I used to be a full-on Madrid fan".
Hunter further explains how Real president Florentino Perez tried to use Iniesta's affection to lure the Spanish midfielder to the Bernabeu, allegedly offering several mouth-watering deals.
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However, the 31-year-old never turned his back on the Catalan giants and has become one of the greatest players in the club's history – despite supporting the eternal rivals as a youngster.
Do you think Iniesta would have become as great if he had joined Real Madrid? Have your say in the comments section below.
