Former Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta launches NSN Cycling Team: ‘We can do beautiful things’
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Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Dec. 10, 2025
Football great Andrés Iniesta has launched the rebranded NSN Cycling Team in Barcelona.
Iniesta, 41, founded NSN (Never Say Never), a sports and entertainment company, in 2018. It has partnered with Swiss investment firm Stoneweg to take over the former Israel-Premier Tech team in November.
The 2010 World Cup winner described his childhood passion for cycling and announced his intention to “do beautiful things”.
“I think for many people of my generation, cycling formed a part of our childhood,” the former Barcelona and Spain midfielder said.
“I clearly remember a lot of afternoons with my friends and my grandad, watching stages of the Tour, Giro and Vuelta. In Spain, we’ve had a lot of great names in the cycling world, therefore it’s a sport and a passion that has accompanied me alongside football.
“Of course football has always been stronger in my life, but my link to cycling has been strong and with this chapter we have now I want to enjoy it.”
Iniesta alongside British cyclist Jake Steward, Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay
and Spanish cyclist Pau MartiManaure Quintero / AFP via Getty Images
The takeover came about after Israel-Premier Tech faced widespread pro-Palestinian protests throughout last season. Former co-owner Sylvan Adams holds a close relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the entrepreneur describing himself as an “ambassador-at-large for the state of Israel”.
Co-title sponsor Premier Tech withdrew its support in October, citing that it had become “untenable for us to continue as a sponsor”, while bike manufacturer Factor told Cyclingnews that “without a name change, they won’t continue”. Premier Tech has since become a co-title sponsor of the former Alpecin-Deceuninck team.
“(NSN) is another step forward, a significant one, and it’s really important on all levels, not just a sporting level,” Iniesta added. “It’s about values, excitement, community, I’m very excited, very motivated, and I have a lot of excitement to get started, to work hard, to improve. We can do beautiful things.”
NSN’s takeover is part of wider changes at the team, which is undergoing a significant rider turnover.
American climber Matthew Riccitello, the best young rider at the Vuelta a Espana, is moving to Decathlon-AG2R, four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome did not have his contract renewed, while their top climber, Canadian Derek Gee, is involved in legal action against the team as he seeks to terminate his contract.
Instead, their most high-profile signing has been Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay, the first Black African rider to win a Tour de France stage, and winner of the green jersey at the 2024 Tour. Though last year was a down season for him, the 25-year-old is still one of the most popular riders in the peloton.
While Iniesta said that his greatest memories of cycling were in the mountain stages, especially involving Miguel Indurain, the Spaniard who won five consecutive yellow jerseys between 1991 and 1995, he signalled his excitement for NSN’s new identity.
“Now we will be sprint specialists and we can count on victories in this form,” he said. “(The aim is) to be competitive, to be the best. Cycling shows us something different, this great teamwork. Only one rider wins but the collective effort is what defines the team. All of us are ambitious.”
Jacob Whitehead is a reporter for The Athletic who covers investigations, cycling, and Newcastle United. He previously worked on the news desk. In 2025, he was a Gold Award winner at the 30 to Watch journalism awards.
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