ANDERS INIESTA: EL ILLUSIONISTA

The world is filled with smart people irrespective of the percentage, and Football is the most followed game on the planet(plus Aliens who rock!). Means, on every street we find people who know the game too well, in and out.

In such a world Iniesta is at the top for making the best of footballing intelligence and creativity.

Iniesta was relatively short, not too fast not the most agile either, nor was he a dribbler like Neymar, Ronaldinho, even then he dictated the gameplay like few ever managed, now that is what is incredible.(He was agile and a world class dribbler, but perhaps not the best at it.)

From the start he progressed rapidly through the club's various youth teams and was promoted to the Barça B team for the 2000-01 season, where he almost immediately became the team's main playmaker under coach Josep Maria Gonzalvo.

Andrés' dream of making the first team finally came true in October 2002 when he was picked to play in the Champions League game against Bruges in Belgium. Van Gaal's Barça won that evening and Andrés made an excellent impression.

All Iniesta had going for him was his reflexes, reactions, unparalleled reading of the game, Vision(passing), presence of mind. Xavi proves that despite football being such a physically demanding game, anyone can make it, where there is a will there is way.

Coming through Barça's academy La Masia, Iniesta is an extreme example of what anyone can achieve by sheer hard work, along with a bit of luck. Iniesta, who was extremely talented from a young age, was brought through the ranks at Barça but tides only turned when Barcelona decide to approach and go the “Barçelona way” or the “Guardiola way”. With his possession based football, which allowed Iniesta to link up with like minded players in Sergio Busquets, Xavi and obviously the great Leo Messi, Barcelona, between 2009–2011 were arguably the best team of all time.

At the most massive moments, after the most massive goals, he never seems to know what to do, almost as if he himself hasn’t come to grips with what he is. The Chelsea goal, he just ran and ran until affection overtook him, until he found a home in front of the Barça away supporters. Everything for you. The World Cup goal and again, he just ran, hopping up and down like the nerdy kid who is unaccustomed to celebrating big moments.

It’s lovely that everyone is appreciating Iniesta. It’s also a safe bet that he thinks it’s lovely, but will tell you that there are other players who everyone should be paying attention to. Because that’s Iniesta. He’s a player who melted hearts and bitterness with a hand-scrawled tribute to a late player for Barça’s bitter crosstown rival — just because they were friends. Did Iniesta know that he would score the goal that would allow him fullest flower of that gesture? Unlikely, which makes the moment almost indescribably beautiful, that he was content to just play the match with that hand-written base layer close to his heart, playing in memory of a man that he loved. Completely, utterly selfless, something that, even with all of the flicks, spins, tricks and bits of magic, is the most wonderful thing about the man we call Don Andres.