| A new hero | |
| SPORT | | Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi May 31, 2009, 0:10 IST | |
Andres Iniesta has emerged as one of the best football player.
He doesn’t score too many goals but is happy creating them for his teammates. He rarely grabs the headlines but is still one of the most important player’s for his team. And if you suggest that Andres Iniesta has laid claim to be the best player in the world, chances are that people will laugh at that suggestion.
Spanish international’s Iniesta played an integral part in FC Barcelona winning a treble of trophies — the La Liga, Copa Del Ray and the UEFA Champions League — along with Euro 2008 with Spain. Yet you are unlikely to find his name discussed when people talk about the best players in the world. The headlines are normally reserved for the likes of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo, who are fantastic players and score goals for their respective teams. But Iniesta has done enough in the last one year to be spoken of in the same breath. After all, how many people can boast of being the most important player of their teams and win every competition they play in?
Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, after losing the Champions League final against an Iniesta-inspired Barcelona, called him “the best player in the world”. Iniesta was magnificent against United in the final and simply ran the show along with compatriot Xavi.
Iniesta has been with Barcelona since the age of 12 and made his debut for the team at the age of 18. Since then he has blossomed into a fine midfielder with an eye for goals and killer passes. He does simple things like keeping the ball and making the team tick without being visible. He is versatile, can play in the midfield as well as on the wings, and has an amazing eye for a pass.
The only criticism can be that he doesn’t score too many goals. But he makes up for that by creating them for his teammates through his passing ability. His former coach at Barcelona, Frank Rijkaard had once called him “the master confectioner” because his passes are so sweet. And his current coach, Pep Guardiola, while watching him as a youth, told fellow teammate Xavi, “You will retire me, but this kid will retire us all.”And if he continues like this, that statement might well come true.
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