Iniesta’s cycling team ‘meaningful on many levels’

Spain’s World Cup winner Andres Iniesta says owning his new World Tour cycling team is “meaningful on many levels”.

Iniesta, 41, co-owns the new NSN Cycling team, which took over the ill-fated Israel-Premier Tech team last month.

And the former Barcelona legend said: “This new step is meaningful on many levels. It’s not only about sport – it’s about everything that surrounds sport: the values, the excitement, the community.

“I’m very motivated, very excited, and eager to share this new chapter.”

Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup and won two European Championships, before retiring last year, formed Never Say Never – a sports and entertainment management company – with businessman Joel Borras in 2018.

The cycling team is the latest addition to the stable after funding from Stoneweg – a Swiss investment firm.

As a statement of intent, NSN last week signed one of the hottest talents on road cycling’s UCI World Tour in Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay, who won the Tour de France’s prestigious green jersey in 2024.

“I’m excited to dive deeper into cycling, learn more, and appreciate the huge amount of work behind every rider,” added Iniesta.

“The goal for the team is simple: keep growing, enjoy the journey, and show what a united team can achieve – because, in the end, only one rider wins, but the collective effort is what will define us.”

NSN are expected to contest cycling’s biggest races – including the Tour de France – next year after acquiring a World Tour licence as part of the deal to take over Israel Premier Tech, who were set to return to the World Tour next season.

The team also has five British riders on its roster, including one-day specialists Stevie Williams, Jake Stewart and sprinter Ethan Vernon.

Iniesta used to watch road cycling with his grandfather, and this is more than just a case of throwing one’s name to a product.

Cycling’s biggest race the Tour de France begins in Barcelona next year, and Iniesta is as treasured in the Catalonian capital as the Sagrada Familia.

Riders will be on the start ramp for the opening stage team time trial with the world’s eyes on them, and Iniesta’s big post-career project.

Hipster multimedia company Never Say Never put on sporting events and music festivals, but they see cycling as so many have over the years: a virtually untapped platform for growth.

The problem often is, few ever seem to grasp just how much it all costs to transport cyclists, kitchens, mechanics, doctors, coaches, bikes around the world for 10 months and pay for pretty much everything themselves.

No team receives television rights money, which is taken by the biggest race organisers, and without a consistent stream of high finance it’s difficult to get the exposure of the top teams who operate on budgets of around 50 million euros (£43.7m) each season.

Israel Premier Tech had the money, but no longer the support of sponsors or many fans by the end, as Spain witnessed chaotic pro-Palestinian protests, many directed at IPT as a result of the Israel-Gaza war.

Swiss registered, and “Spanish structured” NSN’s budget is likely to be pretty reasonable if they can notch Girmay’s annual salary up to two millions euros.