Hot Topics: Andreas Iniesta retires, English FA rescinds Bruno Fernandes' red card

Andreas Iniesta has announced he will retire from football on the 8th of October to pay tribute to his iconic number 8 jersey. (Photo credit: FCBN)

Tuesday night brought us Champions League drama. We look at some hot topics in football across the top five leagues.

Iniesta abandons the beautiful game.

Former Barcelona and La Roja playmaker Andreas Iniesta has announced his retirement from football at the age of 40, leaving behind a stellar career he can be proud of.

To pay a deserved tribute to his famous jersey No. 8 over a 22-year career, Iniesta has decided to stop playing on the 8^th of October. The Spanish maestro played a staggering 1016 games, winning a whopping 38 major trophies in the process, including the 2010 World Cup, where he scored the winning goal.

English FA rescinds Bruno Fernandes’ red card

The FA overturned the referee's and the VAR's decision after Bruno Fernandes, the club captain, appealed the red card he received against Tottenham on Sunday at Old Trafford.

While this further throws the VAR system under the spotlight once again, one can argue it’s the right decision to overturn what looked like a yellow at best with the Portuguese midfielder appearing to slip before the tackle; however, there was a deliberate attempt to impede James Madisson.

Liverpool announces Chiesa injury

Many questioned whether there was an underlying issue when Juventus fired Italian winger Federico Chiesa for a paltry sum of 15 million euros.

Injury has ruled the Italian out of the Champions League match against Bologna, demonstrating that what was once considered a bargain could now become a burden; the Italian's fitness is in doubt, and his extended absence could harm Arne Slot's title challenge.

Boniface and Adeyemi set UCL game night ablaze.

Victor Boniface, a Super Eagles striker, scored Bayer Leverkusen's only goal of the game as the German side beat AC Milan 1-0 to maintain their 100% start to life on their return to the Champions League.

Elsewhere on the night, another Nigerian-born forward, Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund, found the back of the net three times against Celtic in BVB’s 7-1 annihilation of the Scottish champions, keeping last year’s runners up on course with a 100% record.

Real Madrid and Bayern Munich seek glory away from home.

Reigning champions Real Madrid will be away to Lille on Wednesday night in the Champions League as they continue the search for their 16^th title, and word on the street is that Kyllian Mbappe is in the squad despite the injury that ruled him out of the game against Atletico Madrid.

Aston Villa will host Bayern Munich in a game of huge significance; the German side needs a big result after the stalemate in the Bundesliga over the weekend, while Villa needs something to give them confidence in a tough UCL season.