Why Andres Iniesta should win Ballon d'Or

Very few footballers on this planet could boast a vast array of skills, which Andres Iniesta possesses. The FC Barcelona player may have been under the shadow of his fellow ‘La Masia’ graduates Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez during his playing career, but you can’t deny the fact that he has been one of the most influential players, not only for the Catalan side, but also for the Spanish National Football team.

The winner of the FIFA Ballon d’Or will be announced next Monday. Andres Iniesta is named alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the most prestigious individual award in Football. Of course, not many people would be betting on him to win, although he has won the UEFA Player of the Year title beating the same opponents last year. But he has had some exceptional performances to his name which make him the most deserving candidate to clinch the title of World’s best footballer this year.

Let’s go back in time, to Euro 2012. Andres Iniesta was the most threatening player on the field for Spain. Remember the match against Croatia, when 4 opposition players tried to tackle him, but he beautifully drove past everyone and eased his way through? Or when against Italy in the Group Stages, he was surrounded by 5 Italians, still he intelligently carved out the space, and rushed the ball to Fabregas? There were many outstanding performances by this little magician, which won him the Player of the Tournament.

The Midfield Dynamo – Andres Iniesta

It wasn’t that he scored most goals or provided the most assists. In fact, he had only one assist to his name in the tournament, but his way of penetrating into the defence and tormenting the opposition made him the most deserving candidate for this honor.

He was the part of every Spanish attack throughout the whole campaign. He easily dodged past opposition defenders, and although his passes weren’t the last before being deflected into the goal by his fellow teammates, they undoubtedly played a major role in creating numerous chances.

He scored only 8 goals last year. But in football, scoring goals isn’t everything. He is a magician in the midfield, a master in creating chances, and at the same time, defending too. His contributions for FC Barcelona maybe overlooked because of Lionel Messi’s beautiful finishing, but the fact can’t be denied that he was involved in more than half of FC Barcelona’s goals last year.

His creative passing and unselfish behavior on the pitch has a big role to play in it. He races into the opposition half, with the ball glued to his toe, startles the defenders with his intense dribbling, and passes the ball with such sheer accuracy, where interception seems to be an impossible task.

He’s a versatile player. As his former Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard said once, ‘I played him as a false winger, central midfielder, deep midfielder and just behind the striker and he was always excellent.’ Wherever he played in the midfield, he used his creativity to the fullest, and thus providing best results for his team. He is also referred to as El Illusionista (The Illusionist), given his willingness to play anywhere in the field.

Though his contributions were appreciated lately by the UEFA, there’s no doubt that he has been a star performer for his club and country throughout the years. He is blessed with the qualities of both Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi. While his way of passing the ball matches Xavi, his finishing and way of attacking is similar to Messi. And although he is not admired as much as both of them, he certainly deserves the same recognition.