Originally Posted by
Devarajan Master
GRACIAS INFINITAS...
Tonight I will cry...for the first time and probably the last time for a sporting reason...when that artist who paints with his foot Andres Iniesta play his final game in Barcelona colours. Never before had a sportsperson captured my imagination the way Don Andres has.
Prime Iniesta was one of the greatest to ever play the game.
An absolute pleasure to see him glide past the World's best like they were school boys. Every move of his was silky. There have been five or six greater players in the history of the beautiful game. But has any footballer played with more grace both in a literal and aesthetic sense? I can recall none. The way he creates space with those twists and turns is breathtaking. The magic he conjures with the ball along with the poise and close control is one for the connoisseur.
I have asked this question many times to myself...."Am I being unreasonable when it comes to praising Andres Iniesta? Is it my love and obsession of people who were not given the due recognition that made me an Iniesta fanboy?"
But when I went through the 'literature' I found that I was not alone. The Italy goalkeeper, Gianluiggi Buffon himself a living legend ran towards Iniesta after the Euro Cup 2016 tie against Spain to get his jersey and when queried said , "Andres is the second greatest player in the world, next only to Leo Messi. It's an honor to have his shirt". Carlos Bilardo the 1986 World Cup winning manager of Argentina remarked two years back that among the modern players, Iniesta is the real deal and he would do anything it takes to watch him play. The former French, Juventus and Madrid player, Claude Makalele who had played with some of the finest midfielders in the game remarked a year back..."Andres Iniesta is the greatest midfield player I have ever seen". Not a small praise indeed considering the players he had played with for clubs and his country!! So it's not just people like me, but most of the who's who of this game who have been spellbound by an extremely unique player. The latest public apology coming from the French football magazine underlined everything. Can we think of any other modern player who said goodbye to European Club football when he was still playing at his best and an undisputed starter at an iconic club?
With the probable exception of Xavi Hernandez, was there any other player who had been as comfortable as Andres Iniesta in receiving and passing the ball from anywhere on the pitch? The sight of Don Andres receiving the ball from the edge of his own penalty box and gliding past the pressing opponents was simply breathtaking. Has any other footballer got a standing ovation from fans from virtually every single stadium he has played in including the homes of the eternal rivals? No doubt we are talking about a one off player. The likes of Andres Iniesta happen once in a lifetime. The illusionista!
Iniesta is football in it's purest form. He is world football's patron saint. When he takes the field in Barcelona colours for his final farewell tonight, I will cry like millions of people who love the beautiful game. Let me take the words of a German journalist to end this note. "If the ball is an angry crying child, then Andres Iniesta's first touch is a lullaby!"
"If the ball is a crying toddler, then Andres Iniesta's first touch is a lullaby..."
