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Top Ten Barcelona Players of All Time
- Updated: 15 April, 2012
8 – ANDRES INIESTA
A graduate of Barcelona’s La Masia youth system, Iniesta joined the club at the age of 12 after impressing in a junior seven aside tournament whilst with Albacete.
A shy and unassuming character, Iniesta recalls how he “cried rivers” when leaving his parents for the Barcelona academy. He has a pigmentation disorder and is portrayed as a glow worm on a popular Catalan TV satire.
During Iniesta’s time at La Masia, Pep Guardiola is reported to have told then-rising star Xavi “you will retire me but he [Iniesta] will retire both of us”, considering him the best player he’d seen come through the academy.
In his ten season with the senior side, Iniesta has made more than 260 league appearances and, after winning five league titles and three Champions League winners’ medals, has established himself as one of the key players in arguably the greatest club side in history.
Iniesta’s understanding with teammates Xavi and Messi borders on telepathic, he scores more goals as his career progresses but remains very much a team player. His winning goal in the 2010 World Cup Final, however has deservedly earned him the adulation of fans and pundits often reserved for his more illustrious contemporaries.
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