Andrés Iniesta will be a Barcelona player for at least another four seasons. The midfielder officially put pen to paper on his new contract earlier on Monday, in the presence of club president Sandro Rosell and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta.

Iniesta, 29, had less than two years to run on his previous deal, which was due to expire on 30th June 2015, but is now tied to the club until 2018. His contract will subsequently be automatically renewed annually provided he makes a specified number of appearances each season.

Assuming he sees out his contract before retiring, Iniesta will have spent his whole senior career at the ‘Azulgranas’, having joined the club’s famed youth academy at the age of 12 in 1996. In 2018 he will turn 34 and celebrate 22 years in the ‘Azulgranas’ shirt.

Iniesta’s contract was one of the last big pieces of unfinished business on Barça’s agenda, with Messi, Xavi and Puyol all having agreed new terms last year and Sergio Busquets extending his contract this past summer. The club failed to persuade goalkeeper Víctor Valdés to stay on, meaning he is set to leave the Catalan capital on 30th June next year.

As well as Barcelona supremo Rosell, Iniesta’s agent, parents and daughter Valeria were all present to witness the signing of the new deal. The playmaker claimed to be “very happy” to have committed his future to the club, “especially because of how well the team is doing”.

Accoridng to Marca