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Andres Iniesta is one of the most loved footballers of all time. The diminutive Spaniard stays clear of controversy and does all his talking on the pitch. He is one of the very few players who is appreciated by teammates and opponents alike. The 2010 World Cup winner has received standing ovation from Juve fans at the Juventus Stadium as well as at the stadiums of fierce rivals Real Madrid and Espanyol.
Here are the top 30 quotes on Andres Iniesta by players, managers and other big names in the world of football.
“Iniesta doesn’t dye his hair, he doesn’t wear earrings and he hasn’t got any tattoos. Maybe that makes him unattractive to the media but he is the best.”
“He is the complete footballer. He can attack and defend, he creates and scores.”
— Vicente del Bosque
“Iniesta’s the most inventive player in Spanish football at the moment. He’s like Harry Potter. One, two, three and whoosh… he’s past the player. It’s like he has a magic wand.”
— Luis Enrique
“He’s fantastic. He makes the team work. The way he finds passes, his movement and ability to create space is incredible. He’s so important for Barcelona.”
“Andres Iniesta is the best player in the world. Andres is one of the best in understanding the game, and he powers the rest of the team.
– Jorge Sampaoli
“I played him as a false winger, central midfielder, deep midfielder and just behind the striker and he was always excellent.”
— Frank Rijkaard
“Iniesta’s ability to create assists is one of the best in the world. You have to be very good at marking them both [Iniesta and Messi] and limit their threat.”
– Massimiliano Allegri
“There are some players who we don’t talk about how good they are. A lot of players are talked about, but the best in the world is Iniesta. He’s a player who can dribble, he can play, set up goals, run and much more, and he’s still not been given the Ballon d’Or.
– Cesar Luis Menotti
“Iniesta is easily Spain’s most complete player. He has everything. Playing alongside him is very easy.”
— Xavi
“Andrés has been the best for years.”
— Victor Valdes
“Iniesta is the boyfriend that every mother wants her daughter to have. The figures over his career tell you all you need to know. He is a magical player. There are few players in the world that can compare to him.”
— Sergio Ramos
“Andrés and I are similar in that we both use our bodies a lot, to avoid opponents. But he has something that always amazes me. There’s always a moment when you think you’re going to catch him, when you think you’re going to get the ball off him, but you can’t. He’s not especially quick, but he has that ability to always get away from you, which comes from his technique.”
“Andrés is a player who does his work in a quiet way, without noise, and people do not note it,” he started, “I already knew before I came here that he is a footballer, who when he is on the pitch, makes Barcelona play better. I cannot believe he is not in the list of candidates for the Balon D’Or”
– Thierry Henry (2008)
“He is one of the best players in the world and I’m not just talking about my era. I’m talking about in the history of the game
– Petr Cech
“He’s creative, he runs with the ball, he’s got a brilliant final pass and with each passing year he’s become more of a goalscorer as well as a provider. He’s a source of immense confidence for us. During matches you can see him taking on more and more responsibility and in attack he’s the team’s reference point.”
– Cesc Fabregas
“As a professional, as a person, and as a player, I think he’s fantastic. It’s like he’s dancing the tango. [ . . . ] I just love how he plays football so elegantly. To me, Andres is Don Andres.”
— Dani Alves
“(If I could) I’d sign Iniesta. I’d bring him to United because for me if he’s not the best player in the world, he’s one of them. He has personality, lots of quality, a goal in him. He’s got everything.”
– David de Gea
“…..the one who plays this game the best is Iniesta: he knows exactly when to go forward and when to drop back. He picks the right moment to do everything: when to dribble, when to speed things up and when to slow things down. And I think that’s the only thing that can’t be taught or bought. You can learn how to shoot and how to control the ball, but being aware of everything that’s happening out on the pitch – that’s something you’re either born with or you’re not.”
— Juan Roman Riquelme
“When I see him play these days, he reminds me of Xavi. He was always a top quality player. He started very young with us, and it’s crazy to see how he has gone on to make so much history.”
“He is an example of a La Masia player. Technically he is unbelievable.”
— Gerard Pique
“It’s not that difficult to play well and win titles in a team like Barcelona, but it’s in the national side where you see a player’s true class. That was the case with figures like Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane. With Spain, Iniesta has shown that he is among the best players of all time and that’s why I rate him higher than Messi or Ronaldo. Even though the latter two have incredible scoring records for their clubs, they still haven’t won anything with Argentina or Portugal respectively.”
— Boris Becker
“I see someone who is in love with the game, someone who seems to get great enjoyment from playing alongside great players and watching great players and thinking they are great players.
He is oblivious to the fact that he is up there with them. There is humility about him. Most people I talk to always talk about (Lionel) Messi but I drag them to Iniesta.
– Gordon Strachan
“Iniesta – he is the Zinedine Zidane of the team, because he can do whatever you want him to with the ball.”
— Yaya Toure
“Magic from Iniesta. He doesn’t pull rabbits out of his hat, he pulls out big, beautiful peacocks.”
— Ray Hudson, football commentator
“He reminds me of myself.”
“With Xavi, he has helped Barcelona dominate the Champions League for the past 10 years. With his passing, he is one of the greatest.”
— Marco van Basten
“Barcelona are a brilliant team and in my opinion Andres Iniesta is the best player in the world.”
— Wayne Rooney (2009)
“When I said Iniesta was the world’s best, you laughed. Now you can see I’m right.””
— Samuel Eto’o
“When he has the ball, it’s like everything else stops – like the camera is going in slow motion.”
— Fernando Torres
“The press often ask me about whether Messi or Ronaldo is the best, but for me something is very clear: Andres Iniesta is the number one. He is able to do even more difficult things on the pitch. He is magic with the ball and so influential.”
— David Silva
“Iniesta is a great player. If people compare me to him, that makes me proud. He is one of the best midfielders in the history of football. I like playing against him. I admire him as a player and an athlete.”
– Luka Modric
Founder and editor of Footiecentral. A voracious reader who loves reading anything and everything related to the history of football. He’s an ardent supporter of Manchester United and rarely misses a match.