Andrés Iniesta; master puppeteer

Earlier here on AFR we wondered just how influential Andrés Iniesta would be in the first leg of the Supercopa de España Clasico. What we were subject to must surely rank amongst the great individual performances of the last few years. His footwork was staggering; his vision, as always, near flawless – if not for the little Argentine out in front of him, he’d surely be due a Ballon d'Or.

In 2000, as Pep Guardiola’s playing career at the Camp Nou was coming to a close, he and Xavi wandered over to watch Barcelona B; where a young Iniesta is playing. ‘Xavi,’ said Guardiola, 'you are going to replace me, but watch out for this young guy, because he’ll retire all of us.’ How fortunate the future manager was to have them both over the past four years.

Take it all in. There’s no footballer quite like him. [MG]