If you've seen Iniesta live, I reckon you've seen Xavi too?
Someone better live than on screen, imo.
Iniesta - Is there another? | Announces retirement
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If you've seen Iniesta live, I reckon you've seen Xavi too?
Someone better live than on screen, imo.
Still crazy to me that Barca had Messi, Iniesta and xavi all in their primes in the same team. The greatest player ever + the two greatest midfielders ever.
And all from their academy.
What made Zidane so special was that he was incredibly well rounded as a player. He was technically and physically dominant at the same time. I remember Roy Keane and Paul Scholes praising Zidane for his grit and physicality. Zidane had more tools in his locker than the likes of Iniesta and Modric. Apart from his obvious technical superiority, Zidane was great with his left foot, strong in the air, adept at taking set pieces, had magical tricks and flicks and was a leader. Iniesta and Modric don't really have these qualities although the latter has shown leadership qualities for his National Team.
You can't quantify this but Zidane also had a special aura and presence on the pitch. He was the main man unlike Iniesta and Modric. While tricks and flicks aren't the most important thing, players like Zidane and Ronaldinho will always be loved for the extra entertainment factor. The things Zidane could do with a ball were crazy. Most players and managers are still in awe of him.
Why do you think he's overrated? Inconsistent performances in league campaigns?
Which is why that team circa 2010-12 is the greatest team ever, in my opinion. Or at least, the greatest team in my lifetime.
Pretty much this - inconsistency throughout his career. I'm obviously not denying he was an incredible player, but I do feel like there's a myth that has developped around him - his highlights reel is incredible, and he was basically "poetry in motion" when he was on it, but he wasn't a consistent performer. He had the ability to turn it on in the biggest games and deliver world-class performances in WC decisive games, in CL finals, etc. but could also be anonymous in many league games. In the same way the casual viewer will say he had an incredible 98 WC - which he didn't, he was underwhelming, got red carded, and shone in the final (in the same way that Mbappé's 22 WC is overhyped, but I digress). When it comes to international tournaments, you'd be better served by pointing at the 2000 Euros, which was pretty much flawless (that team was a machine) or the 2006 WC which was a brilliant summary of Zidane - capable of the best and the worse.
And I was just reacting to the comparison to Modric, who I personally see as an absolutely perfect CM, with a longevity and consistency that very few can rival. Not a particular slight on Zidane, and certainly a personal bias considering how much I appreciate consistency in a player.
I guess it comes down to these hypotheticals we like to create, like who would you want on your side before a WC or a CL final - Zidane, for sure. But who would you rather have for a league campaign? I'd go for Modric.
I'd also add Busquets tbh
Amazing player, but not as good as Modric, who is the perfect central midfielder. Xavi can't dribble, Iniesta has limitations off the ball, Modric can do it all and in any system. A perfect blend of technical ability and athleticism.
What works when comparing Haaland-Mbappe or Messi-Ronaldo works for midfielders as well. Modric's versatility is unparalleled. So is his longevity. Iniesta and him are almost the same age; Iniesta retired from high-level football six years ago while Modric is still playing for Madrid and international football.
What works when comparing Haaland-Mbappe or Messi-Ronaldo works for midfielders as well. Modric's versatility is unparalleled. So is his longevity. Iniesta and him are almost the same age; Iniesta retired from high-level football six years ago while Modric is still playing for Madrid and international football.
One of the best of my lifetime.
Arguably one of the best ever.
What a player.
Arguably one of the best ever.
What a player.
Poor mans Tom Cleverley.
Iniesta has announced retirement from football.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1l47erqep4o
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c1l47erqep4o
Definitely. I saw him play for Spain a couple of years ago and he was still outstanding. The way Xavi and Busquets would move their bodies around the ball was incredible.
I sometimes wonder how good those four would all have been without each other. I think Iniesta was perhaps the most important in that Barcelona team.
United manager announcement incoming?
Messi, clearly.
Between Iniesta and Xavi it is hard to say. History has shown that Xavi basically was the style of play. Once he left, the overwhelming midfield dominance of tiki taka stopped being viable for spain and barcelona alike.
Iniesta was better to watch though. And always the man for the big occasions. Lots of trophies that might not happen if he's not there showing up with MotM performances.
A joy to watch, up there with the absolute greatest midfielders in my opinion
Messi clearly the better player but most important I'm not so sure. Take him away and they still win everything. Take Iniesta away and i think they'd lose an edge. His ability to move the ball into dangerous areas was unrivalled. You could say the same about Xavi but he was at least slightly interchangeable with Busquets.
He could "do it all", but he wasn't as good as Iniesta on the ball. The latter was at least two levels above technically; his close control and ability to make quick link up plays in very tight spaces were second to none.
I think that losing Iniesta or Xavi would be more detrimental to Barcelona than losing Messi. Maybe I'm crazy, but sometimes he looked almost like a luxury player between 2008-2013 to me. The two Spaniards always seemed much more influential to their success, even in the biggest games. Messi was "just" the cherry on the top of the cake, the one responsible for bringing excitement, while the other two made the truly "technical" work, if that makes sense.
Messi was a much better player from 2014 onwards than his 2008-2013 version for me. Unfortunately, that coincided with a very decrepit Barça.
Yes, Iniesta was better than Modric at doing the things you described. My point was that Modric has elite technique on top of having elite physicality, which wasn't the case for Iniesta.
I thought you didn't emphasize the difference enough, that was the reason for my quote. And I don't think Modric had elite physicality, far from that; he wasn't a Keane, a Vieira or a Matthaus for sure, and not even a Nedved, a Gerrard or a Lampard. To be honest, the only really noticeable difference between them, Iniesta and Modric, when off the ball, was that the latter could execute tackles.
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Physicality is like athleticism for me and not necessarily related to size.
When it comes to elite physicality/athleticism, Modric ticks almost all the boxes. His cardio is phenomenal, he's quick, he's pugnatious. So he covers a lot of ground, can make a high number of high-intensity runs in a game, he's hard to dribble and good in 50/50 battles. He only lacks power.
Modric is levels above Iniesta when off the ball simply because the physical gap between them is huge.
Agreed, Modric is/was very versatile and industrious, and he had/has very good technique, but Iniesta has near-genius technique. There's a difference.