Andres Iniesta: Best Midfielder Of All Time?

Hey folks! So it is rather late at night, as you can tell when this goes up, but, my excuse is that after coming back from a concert with trumpets, I find that I have lots of energy. I'll admit it, i'm also a little tipsy. Regardless of my current mental status, I am watching FC Barcelona rompus beating issued to Levante, ending eventually in a 4-0 result. Messi just performed his typical dazzling footwork and a fantastic shot, that didn't go in. (Whaaat a wanker) Although Messi recorded 2 goals on the night and here's the full highlights, I can't help but draw my eyes to the work rate, the control, the dangerous runs, and the highly underrated footwork of Andres Iniesta. Humor me by watching this real quick. Enjoy this, and Continue:

What you are witnessing is incredible play from arguably the best midfielder  in the world, Iniesta. The 90 minutes that played out on November 25th in front of a loud, hostile, Levante crowd at the Estadio Cuitat de Valencia. A team that currently sits 6th on the La Liga table, Levante is no small opponent, especially when the big, bad Blaugrana come around. The greatest part of this game was not Messi or Xavi, who also had incredible games, but it was Inieta who stole the show with an outstanding performance in the midfield. In my mind he is making a very loud argument for being possible the best midfielder of all time, but listen close to this... Andres Iniesta can easily be compared to the likes of Zico, Maradona, Zidane, perhaps second only to Maradona by the end of his career. Crazy, cant't be, snort-able statement, but I can show you that I'm not far from the truth and the way that his career is going up right now, the argument gets easier.

I think it's best to start with Zinedine Zidane, an apt player due to playing with Real Madrid, in the same league as Andres. In terms of success, the two players are very close. Zidane is a player who walked away from his career with three of a kind; he gained 3 League titles with both Real Madrid and Juventus, then 3 domestic cups with the same two teams, and 3 Chapions League titles with, you guessed it, Juventus and Madrid. Good for him, he justly earned a lengthy lists worth of awards and accolades, toting some of the best midfield play of all time. How can anyone forget some of his outstanding play? Just watch as he absolutely shreds people, don't look at me when confounded by the silliness of this music. I hope you all headed my warning and muted the video, but if you didn't then the track only sought to emphasize the shear ability that this Frenchie has. I won't overload any readers by giving you a best goals reel, but feel free to just YouTube it, worth a gander. Anyways, despite what this homage of a paragraph might sugest, I do believe that Andres Iniesta had a better career. Sorry to leave that hanging, but I need to draw your attention to the next player that sits atop, as one of the best midfielders ever, Zico.

For those of you scratching their heads and wondering, Who on earth is this Zico, he's only got one name! Well, he's Brazilian. Very quickly; he concluded his career with 697 appearances and 475 goals, won Best South American player of the Year 3 times (runner-up twice), also earning 5 seasons worth of Top Brazilian Scorer. Zico has been named the 3rd best Brazilian of the 20th century; think of all the Brazilians, yes, he's that good. Mind the quality, but peep the video above and observe a few highlights of the many talents he has. Zico was one of the most exciting players ever to grace the Brazilian continent. Zico has been highly influential in today's game. For instance, Zico had the ability to take pin-point, untouchable shots from dead-ball situations, freekicks. Although his true brilliance lied in that classic Brazilian comfort with the ball, that absolute ease they have as they bemuse and bewilder viewers around the world and throughout history. Zico was one of the original definition of the stereotypes associated with Brazilian soccer players. Still, as I praise the existence of Zico and what he has given soccer, I can't help but grin and think that Andres can contend with this Brazilian legend. For a second time tonight I must continue, for there is one last player who stands to be the greatest midfielder of all time, Diego Maradona.

Now I know the majority of people here know the various exploits and skills of Diego Maradona. Hence the two images provided and the lack of a highlight reel, I feel that I don't even need to post highlights of him. Maradona's awards and recognitions are listed as follow: 3 seasons straight as Argentina Top Scorer, South American Footballer of the Year twice, World's Best Footballer also twice, and is responsible for one of Argentina's two World Cups. So yes, he's very good. I understand that recently he has been on a drug and eating crusade, but I swear that once upon 100 pounds ago, that man was one of the most dangerous players in history. I remember a documentary I once saw on him said that whenever he touched the ball, regardless of the stadium, crowds developed an audible buzz of curiosity as to what this magician was going to do next. Maradona has been responsible for such moments as the Goal of the Century, where he proceeded to run through the entirety of the English defense and well, the rest became history. Despite what the man's post player years has amounted to, he can be easily rated as the best midfielder of all time. But I need to raise my hand one more time and say, "I still think that Iniesta will end up being the best midfielder of all time."

Finally we can get down to what exactly about this 28-year-old from Fuentealbilla, Spain is so special. Andres joined FC Barcelona at the age of twelve and from this early age the spaniard honed and mastered his skills at La Masia, FC Barcelona's youth team facilities. Andres spent his teenage years playing soccer alongside the other notable prospects from Barcelona's youth system, Cesc Febregas who join in 2004, Lionel Messi who joined in 2004, Pique in '05, Thiago Motta in '01, or Mikel Arteta in '00, and the list goes on. Iniesta debuted for the Barcelona First Team in 2002 at the young age of 18 and became a regular starter in 2004, and from that season, his talents and abilities have only been improving. In the past ten years of El Illusionista's career, Andres has helped Barcelona win the La Liga title 5 times, appearing 422 times and scoring 44 goals for the red and blue shirts. Iniesta has also helped the Bluagrana win the domestic cup, The Copa Del Rey, twice and securing the Spanish Supercup on 5 occasions. The Spanish man also represented Barcelona outside of the country, helping to win 3 Champions League Titles, 2 UEFA Super Cups, and 2 Club World Cups. His contributions to the team cannot be overstated, being responsible for sending Barcelona to the 2008 Champions League Final with his famous shot against Chelsea or the almost 60 assists he has had over his career. Moving beyond Barcelona, Iniesta has also represented for his national team proudly, winning the Spain's first World Cup in 2010 with a last minute goal against the Netherlands; he also helped win the the European Championship in 2008 and 2012. Although Iniesta's trophy case is full of trophies from Spain and Barcelona, it lacks in personal accolades. However, he has earned himself a place sitting right next to the likes of Lionel Messi and Chrisitano Ronaldo, present normally behind on or the other in all of the European awards. Go ahead and compare the numbers between Andres and the other contenders for best midfielder, you'll find that they are close and even favor Iniesta. Might I also point out that Zico only appeared 39 times in Europe making his comprable accomplishments lacking in the difficulty because he played in South America. Maradona is an easier comparison to draw, having appeared in Europe on 250 occasions with 108 goals. It close folks, you make the call. To end, watch what this player can do and thank you for your time, eyes and ears.