Iniesta: I will always be grateful to Van Gaal

The World Cup winner is thankful to the Manchester United boss for making his dream come true and singled out his goal against Chelsea in 2009 as "incredible"

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has admitted he will always be grateful to Louis van Gaal for handing him his debut at Camp Nou.

The Spain international made his senior bow for the Catalan outfit in October 2002 before making his first home appearance three months later against Recreativo.

And the World Cup winner admits that he is extremely thankful to the Manchester United boss for making his dreams come true.

"My debut with the team, it was the most important day of my life," he told BeIn Sports. "A dream come true. These are very good memories.

"I was nervous but also very grateful to Van Gaal and all the coaches I've had before."

Despite having won numerous pieces of silverware at both international and club level, the 30-year-old holds the 2005 Liga title and the 2009 Champions League as his most memorable triumphs.

And the midfielder, who scored Spain's winner in the 2010 World Cup final, singled out his last-minute strike against Chelsea on the way to Champions League glory as "one of the most incredible" goals of his career.

"The first title in La Liga it is always a special memory, because this was a first," he said.

"It seemed that time had stopped. I was very young and it was the beginning of many beautiful things.

"The final in Rome, I consider it one of the best of all time - because of this match but also in relation to our route to the final.

"The goal I scored at Chelsea at the last minute is still one of the most incredible of my career."