“But I want to share something that many people don’t know. A lot of people look from the outside and they say, “Oh, wow, you went from China to Barcelona. What an incredible story. What a miracle.”

But, in fact, after I signed for Barcelona, it was one of the most dramatic moments of my life. At the time, my wife was pregnant with twins. They were due to be born in December, right before Christmas. One day in October, she told me that she was in a lot of pain and that she needed me to drive her to the doctor right away. She always refused to go to the hospital for anything, so I knew that something was wrong.

When we arrived at the hospital, they did some tests and took her straight into the ICU. Our twins were trying to come into the world, but it had only been 28 weeks. It was extremely dangerous. The doctors wanted her to hold on for two more weeks before giving birth in order to give their lungs a chance to develop.

I remember calling my parents back in Brazil and saying, “What will happen? Will they live?”

It was terrifying.

But my wife was a warrior. She held on for seven days … 14 days … 20 days

A lot of nights, I slept in the armchair in the room. But during the day, I had to keep playing football. On October 30, I had to go play a Champions League match against Olympiakos in Greece. There was nothing I could do. I had to get on the plane.

My wife had held on for 21 days. I cried and cried. I wanted to be there to see them come into the world. But they were here. That’s what mattered.

They both needed to stay in an incubator at the hospital for two months. They were not strong enough to come home. In those times, football seems very unimportant. People were talking about how well I was doing on the pitch for Barcelona, but privately, it was an extremely difficult time. There were days when I would be getting ready for training, and I would think of my children hooked up to tubes at the hospital.

I have to give all the credit to my wife. She was the hero. Me, I just had to play football. She had to fight for the lives of our children. It is unimaginable the strength that a mother can find when her children are in danger.

On December 23, Sofia and Zé Pedro came home.

That was the greatest Christmas gift I ever received.

People hear about my story, and they say, “Man, you went from China to Barcelona. You’re going to the World Cup. How can you explain it?”

I don’t know. Football is full of ups and downs. It’s unpredictable. In many ways, I feel like I am the same player I was when I went to the Super League. Going from China to Barcelona is incredible, but it’s not a miracle. It’s not life or death. It’s just football.

A miracle is when you come home from football, and no matter what the result was that day, your children look up at you, and their eyes say, Olá, Papai. “ - Paulinho for the Players Tribune

Captain. 

Great saves of goalkeepers in first round during the 2018 World Cup matches.

Gerard Pique will make his 100th appearance for Spanish National Team during game vs Iran.

100 games, 8164 minutes, 5 goals, 3 assists, 1 World Cup, 1 European Championship

Andres Iniesta of FC Barcelona walks on the pitch with his daughters Valeria Iniesta and Siena Iniesta and his son Paolo Andrea Iniesta prior to the La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Sociedad at Camp Nou on May 20, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain.

#INFINIT8INIESTA