The Illusionist : Don Andrés Iniesta

heartbreaking

I remember disliking him in 2009 after the Chelsea match and then in 2010 after he scored the winner against Holland. I've never changed my mind about someone so thoroughly. He's a true legend and I am very sad to see his career drawing to a close.

Myesyats wrote:He will be missed but not as badly as Xavi imo.

I guess that's partly because Xavi defined a playing style and system for us. With him gone that style and system was also gone. I don't think Thiago or anyone else could have helped us continue in that style, at least not to that level of perfection.

Iniesta on the other hand fits in to what is in front of him. So when he is gone we may not so much have a position to replace. What we will still miss though is the sheer class of the player and especially his big match performer persona. I think Daniel Edwards of Goal.com in a one to one conversation with me once put it best - "Iniesta's position is one that he has invented himself.". It's hard for me to think of another player who played in the exact same style as Iniesta. Is he an attacking midfielder? Yes but not out and out. He spends so much time in the center and also contributes to the defensive stability of the team. Is he a central midfielder? Yes but more dynamic than Xavi. He moves on the ball much more and gets into attacking positions more often.

I think its beyond debate that both Xavi and Iniesta are among the finest midfielders of all time and comfortably make it to an all time top hundred footballers list.

Excellent post

I recall free_cat asking for Iniesta to leave last summer. At this point it makes me curious to know how my fellow Barcelona fans feel about this.

Who all think that Iniesta should spend one more season at Barcelona? Who all think that this is the right time for him to go?

Based on his performance in the Copa I'd say he has another season left in him. If David Silva has another season in City so has Iniesta at Barça.

For me Iniesta always reminded me of a futsal player. The type of close control and dribbling style he has is very futsal-esque. You see so many so called dribblers rely to an high extent to pace, even the best dribblers like Messi and Neymar. But Don Andrés never does. Not only his skills but his intelligence in reading the game a few plays ahead. When people called Coutinho a replacement to Iniesta I laughed at them. The guy doesn't have half the brain or skills to replace the mighty Spaniard.

danyjr wrote:Based on his performance in the Copa I'd say he has another season left in him. If David Silva has another season in City so has Iniesta at Barça.

For me Iniesta always reminded me of a futsal player. The type of close control and dribbling style he has is very futsal-esque. You see so many so called dribblers rely to an high extent to pace, even the best dribblers like Messi and Neymar. But Don Andrés never does. Not only his skills but his intelligence in reading the game a few plays ahead. When people called Coutinho a replacement to Iniesta I laughed at them. The guy doesn't have half the brain or skills to replace the mighty Spaniard.

David Silva is two years younger than Andres Iniesta and maybe even a little less injury prone. I agree with your overall thought though. I think the problem is that Iniesta does not want to stay if he is no longer part of the key fulcrum of the team. In order for Barca to become competitive at the highest level I think the most important thing that needs to be done is revamping the midfield and if that is well and truly done it would probably mean Iniesta cannot be a starter any more. So overall I am fine with him staying for one more year but I can also accept his decision to leave now.

As the old adage goes it's better to quit when people ask why rather than when they ask why not.  Arsene Wenger is an excellent example to cite for what happens to those who overstay their welcome.

Your post is excellent. Loved reading every word.

I too have been especially fond of the fact that Iniesta can dribble to that level of excellence without having the pace that is associated with most other dribblers. As for his game intelligence I have lost count of how many playing and coaching legends of the game have pointed out this specific quality of his.

As for Coutinho, I hope he succeeds for the sake of Barca but he could end up as one more of all those all that glitters is not gold. Ever since I started following football there have been innumerable names who were touted as the next big thing and most of them never really made it. Even when people talk about the very best of today like Kevin De Bruyne and Paul Pogba, I would prefer to wait and see just how much they can achieve in their career before touting them any more than they already have been. Then there is the case of Ganso who a few years back people thought would be as good as Zidane. At one time a few had claimed that Bojan would be better than Messi. There really is no end to such examples.

1 World Cup

4 UCLs

2 Euros

9 La Ligas (including the one about to be won)


How many footballers can you think of whose trophy haul matches up to this one?

Can you think of any other footballer who was man of the match in a World Cup final, a Euro final and a UCL final???

While all of us at Barca will wait for Lionel Messi and company to win the next UCL very soon, at the moment this record stands unchallenged.

Andres Iniesta is the only Barcelona player ever to have played in and won four UCL finals. Whats more is that he had significant contributions in all four of these finals.

Remember when Madrid fans lauded Nuri Şahin as the next Xavi? In all honesty I was one who thought Ganso and Pato will become legends, funny how they are not even their 30s yet they have been long forgotten.

Regardless, I agree with your statement of signing some good CMs. Players with skill and intelligence required to play in such a big club. For me, the last good CM Barcelona have done signed since Touré has been Rakitić. He may not be as flashy or skilful as his countryman Modrić who would have no trouble fitting into Barcelona, but I like his industriousness. He compliments the players around him and that is not something like scrubs like Myestats or whatever his name is understand.

Which players would you sign if you were the sporting director?

danyjr wrote:Remember when Madrid fans lauded Nuri Şahin as the next Xavi? In all honesty I was one who thought Ganso and Pato will become legends, funny how they are not even their 30s yet they have been long forgotten.

Regardless, I agree with your statement of signing some good CMs. Players with skill and intelligence required to play in such a big club. For me, the last good CM Barcelona have done signed since Touré has been Rakitić. He may not be as flashy or skilful as his countryman Modrić who would have no trouble fitting into Barcelona, but I like his industriousness. He compliments the players around him and that is not something like scrubs like Myestats or whatever his name is understand.

Which players would you sign if you were the sporting director?

Oh yes I remember those Sahin comments. Truth be told I had very high hopes of Ilkay Gundogan, absolutely phenomenal in the 2012-13 season. I think injuries have ensured that while he can still be a decent player he'll probably never again be truly elite.

I also appreciate Ivan Rakitic. He is an underrated player, easily one of the current pathetic board's best signings. The way he fitted into our club and allowed us to move to a different style of play after Xavi with which albeit we were less attractive and successful but without someone like him we may have collapsed even further. As you said he does a lot of the dog work that goes unappreciated but gives the team balance and more freedom to the flashier players to shine.

Which players would I sign today? That's a very difficult question but I know my focus is on midfielders. I'll certainly not chase Griezmann. I will share a thought here. An elite midfielder is very hard to find. Even when I look at an all time top hundred list there are so many forwards and very few players who played in central midfield and did not score that many goals. It's a very difficult position for one to shine out from and become a star.

We badly need a central midfielder who can run a game, who has technical and tactical qualities and who is of the right age. Now who would fit best for that role. At one time I used to shout Marco Verratti but he has stagnated. Still I am not against that option. Maybe free_cat was right that instead of spending on Gomes and Paulinho we may as well have spent E100m on Paul Pogba. Then there is Kevin De Bruyne, the latest to have made his name in that position. At this point in time I am not sure who I would want most out of these three and I am open to more names as well but we MUST sign a top quality central midfielder to bring some style, expression and stability to our game. Else expect a repeat of the listless performance against Roma next season as well.

Come to think of it if we had played the exact same lineup against Roma in both legs that we played against Sevilla, could we have played better? I know Coutinho was cup tied but replace him with Dembele and essentially retain the same formation. Could we have played better? I think so but we will never know for sure. The likes of Paulinho and Gomes not only don't play well themselves but crucially they adversely affect the overall movement and flow of the entire team. That said we may as well admit that even with all these changes we would not have been good enough to win the UCL.

I'm going to throw a few names here too. I know none of the players I'm going to mention are World Class but they are heaps and bounds better than scrubs like Denis, Gomes and Paulinho - and hopefully won't cost a fortune to sign. Certainly better suited to Barcelona's style too.

• Pjanić
  
• Verratti
  
• Ramsey
  
• Banega
  
• Wilshere

What about Eriksen? He's seem to be very solid, reliable, big game performer and it shouldn't be that difficult to get him off Spurs.

I think there are different ways of looking at this matter and whichever way I see it I cannot find any reason to blame Iniesta in the least, heavily biased in his favor though I clearly am.

Let's consider his options at this point :-

1. Retire immediately at Barcelona - Zidane also retired at the age of 34. However if a player wants to play the game for some more time then what can possibly be wrong with that?

2. Stay for a few more years at Barcelona and retire with us - As romantic an option as the previous one but how practical is it? Should he get used to more and more time on the bench? The very best understandably find it very difficult to do that. Should he try to force more minutes for himself due to his legacy instead of allowing what is best for the team at the moment to happen? I think that would be more low down than any amount of money chasing he does. See right now Barca have to play him in the starting XI in key games at least in the UCL but this summer Barca must rebuild the midfield. What used to be our greatest strength for years has become our greatest weakness and if and when a proper rebuilding job is done Iniesta will no longer be a default starter. As to the Javier Zanettis of this world who can play at top level till they are nearly forty well not everyone can manage it, especially considering the level of fitness needed. Let's accept this while appreciating those who have done it. Injuries are catching up very fast with Iniesta.

3. Stay in Europe and move to a slightly smaller club to still play close to top level competitive football i.e. be a Raul at Schalke. Firstly I understand his contract does not allow for that but lets leave that aside for a moment. I am not against this option but am not going gaga over it either. Not too many players derive satisfaction from such a stint. Besides it leaves you at least with a possibility of having to face the club of your life. Iniesta does not ever want to have to play against Barcelona and that is a sentiment worthy of a lot of respect.

4. Go outside Europe and mint money - the option he is likely to choose. Seriously there is nothing wrong with that. When we look at which players have won the most trophies ever there are a few names listed ahead of Iniesta but if we start looking at the weightage of each trophy won then in football history does anyone at all surpass Iniesta in that regard??? So for a player who has won everything three times over and been decisive in so many key moments in both club and international football, an all time legend of the beautiful game, whats left to achieve? Why not then look at earning more money? Money may not be the greatest virtue but it's hardly an evil by itself and if it is given to you, a lot of it, without you having to compromise with your principles or conscience, then why shouldn't one take it? How many of us here would refuse such money??? Even the maestro Xavi left for Qatar when the time was right. If Iniesta was less than thirty years old then my blood would be boiling at this thought but now is not the wrong time for this. It's not just about money but also about life after football. Look for other opportunities within and outside the game. Maybe even look for opportunities for other people close to you. Others have done it in the past and there is really nothing wrong with it as such.

It would be so great to leave top level football on a high. Go play the UCL final and leave with the trophy like Xavi did. Go play the world cup final and effectively retire at the end of the most important football match in four years like Zidane did (minus the headbutt though of course), although in his case it was complete retirement. All this is wishful thinking on my part though. The end is usually not that rosy for even the very best (a part of me even fears that Iniesta will get injured and miss the world cup) but their legacy certainly lives on for ever. For me Andres Iniesta essentially was and is football. He personified my love for the beautiful game.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/barcelona-great-andres-iniesta-receives-12419144

Respect From Rivals :-

Sergio Ramos, season long rival of Iniesta of many years and team mate at international level, had this to say about Iniesta recently :-

http://www.goal.com/en/news/ramos-if-iniesta-was-andresinho-he-wouldve-won-ballon-dor/3ppq108exvx218pu3ab0lu368

That did not surprise me since he has expressed his regards a few times before as well but the next one I had not anticipated.

None other than Cristiano Ronaldo said this about Andres Iniesta :-

"It's been an absolute privilege watching you play. One of the best midfielders of all time."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbymcmahon/2018/04/21/the-sublime-andres-iniesta-wins-his-31st-club-trophy-and-barcelona-the-2018-copa-del-rey/#140a6af6141d

Cesc Fabregas - "Along with Xavi, Andres is the only Spaniard who could have won a Ballon d'Or."


http://www.goal.com/en/news/iniesta-and-xavi-the-only-spaniards-that-could-have-won/1bzhesfpami331bscytif06pcc

It was known for a long time but it's official now. 'The Artist' is leaving Barcelona at the end of this season.

Needless to add that I followed every bit of this press conference live even though a lot was lost in translation and I had to try to read it up later.

He has made it perfectly clear, that as he said before he does not want to ever compete against Barcelona, he will not be playing in Europe any more.

In his own words the reason he leaves is because the club always deserved his best and in the near future he feels he will not be able to give his best physically and mentally.


https://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/news/2017-2018/andres-iniesta-fc-barcelona-press-news-conference

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/04/27/emotional-andres-iniesta-reveals-will-finally-leave-barcelona/

http://www.blamefootball.com/2018/04/27/watch-iniesta-announces-his-barcelona-exit-breaks-down-in-tears-during-press-conference/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/iniesta-to-leave-barcelona-at-the-end-of-the-season/articleshow/63941386.cms

http://www.bdtonline.com/news/iniesta-leaving-barcelona-after-seasons/article_0753ed85-d40e-5bc7-9805-6d7cd2eccf01.html

There is a lot I may write about him in the forthcoming days but here are some ways of expressing myself regarding my favorite ever footballer. Most of this I have said before but now more than ever I need to say them.


1) My alter ego on the football pitch.

2) The personification of the beautiful game for me.

3) I am almost certainly his greatest fan at these forums.

4) Football will never be the same again for me.

5) A complete role model, at least among sports personalities.


I have lived every significant moment of his professional life with him right since the first time I set eyes on this extremely promising, technically gifted and humble kid on the pitch in the 2004-05 season.

Next season when I look at FC Barcelona it will not feel like my team as much as before. Maybe I could even be more of a football neutral. Or my interest in the game could deteriorate. I had even considered bidding an official good bye to these forums the day Iniesta leaves Barcelona but on second thoughts since I am only an occasional visitor here I may still feel the need to come here and read and write about football next season and beyond. Still I doubt I'll ever again feel the passion for the game to the extent that I have felt in these last fourteen years. Something ends for me today, something vital, but the overwhelming feeling is not of sadness. It's about acceptance that no matter who you are time is always greater than you and waits for no one. Whats more is that there are so many beautiful memories to cherish in these not so few years that I will forever be grateful for. Above all it's been a very special privilege and pleasure just to watch him live on the football pitch for all these years. When I was a child my neighbors told me how special it was to watch Pele and/or Maradona play. Now I can forever say to one and all how special it was to watch Iniesta, Xavi and Messi play. That is my holy trinity and very intentionally it also makes up the name that I use at these forums.

This is hopefully the last time I am writing about myself on this thread but for the next several days I would like to keep posting something or the other on Andres Iniesta.

Ingenuity in Simplicity :-

https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/989844205651415040

Pure Class :-

https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona/status/989842383192772608

This hugely sucks, but I think its the right decision for him and us.

He is still very capable of playing at the elite level, but like all older players, those performances are more and more infrequent.

If we had better control over games and played with less transitions, perhaps he could continue, but overall from a playing point of view its the right move.

I guess he will go to a lower level of football, though I did read about joining Man City for a season I think that is just an attempt to sell news.

I dont need to talk about how great he was, that is obvious. What a career he has had also and I will miss his magic moments that only he is really capable of.

I really do think he has one more top class season in him, especially after watching the Sevilla game. I really wanted we give him the farewell like we did to Xavi, by winning the treble. The man deserved nothing less.

The Franchise wrote:This hugely sucks, but I think its the right decision for him and us.

He is still very capable of playing at the elite level, but like all older players, those performances are more and more infrequent.

If we had better control over games and played with less transitions, perhaps he could continue, but overall from a playing point of view its the right move.

I guess he will go to a lower level of football, though I did read about joining Man City for a season I think that is just an attempt to sell news.

I dont need to talk about how great he was, that is obvious. What a career he has had also and I will miss his magic moments that only he is really capable of.

Firstly dani its so wonderful to see you after a very long time !!!

I almost completely agree with your thoughts here. ManCity etc. if the rumours were true, I thank them for the respect shown to him but if Iniesta had wanted to continue at top level he would be with us only. Besides now he has said loudly and clearly that he does not want to compete against Barca and so will not play in Europe any more. Maybe some day he could play against us in a friendly or exhibition game with his new club, likely a Chinese club, but he is Barcelona forever and in the hallowed pantheon of legends our wonderful club has produced for so many decades and counting.

Lucifer wrote:I really do think he has one more top class season in him, especially after watching the Sevilla game. I really wanted we give him the farewell like we did to Xavi, by winning the treble. The man deserved nothing less.

Well said mate but I'll take the league and cup double as a send off for him since the entire journey has largely been so beautiful and almost perfect.

https://twitter.com/barcagalaxy/status/990767214285459456

Partly a curiosity question and partly a challenge.

Which is the most recent player you can think of whose trophy haul matches up to this one? Lets not just do a numerical count of the trophies but also look at the weightage of each trophy.