Player Profile: Andres Iniesta - Part 1
Andres Iniesta, who is a part of the first team of the Spanish Champions, Barcelona, has a big task that that he takes up very easily. Back in 2002, Iniesta was the player who made a breakthrough in Barcelona’s first team and the
Catalan giants had an “amazing” addition in the midfield. Iniesta is the player who demonstrated last season that he is above many other football players and he is definitely a “professional”.
The “selfless” player has shown the World how a “real team” is made as he has came out as a team player time and time again. Even though, Iniesta has come out with flying colours on many occasions, all that matters to him is that
his team, Barcelona, should win the match. The perfect example of this is that during the 2009 Champions League’s final match, Andres Iniesta knew that he was injured and by going onto the field would be risking his thigh. Regardless of his condition, he went
on the ground, sacrificing himself, and performed for the Spanish side so that they could win the match and bring the title home.
Iniesta is not only an “out of the world” player in fact he is also very humble when it comes down to playing football. When he was about to sign his “new contract” last season, the 25-year old told the Catalans that it was a pleasure
playing for the team and he would not even ask for a penny as it is just like a “dream come true” for him. The Spanish player has always been a part of Barcelona and always wanted to play in the first team of the Spanish club.
The injury that the Spanish midfielder sustained during the final match of the UEFA Champions League against the English club, Manchester United, did not come without consequences. The dynamic midfielder was ruled out of the Confederations
Cup, in which the Spanish side was eliminated in the semi finals. Not only did he miss the Confederations Cup, he also managed to rest the whole pre-season with the club and was unable to train with his team mates. His club coach, Pep Guardiola, made sure
that Iniesta’s thigh injury was not risked and waited for him to return to full fitness. Due to the “gap” that Guardiola decided to give him, Andres Iniesta was unable to perform for his club and did not feature for a full-time 90 minutes game until late October.
However, the decision of putting him on as a full time player was a good option for Iniesta and Guardiola, as the player was able to make it to the Spanish squad. He became a part of Spain’s first team in the FIFA World Cup 2010 and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
That thigh injury was not totally gone as everyone could see that the performance of the “dynamic” Spanish midfielder was affected by it. Even though the injury kept nudging Iniesta, he struggled and worked hard to keep up with
the team. Thanks to his determination, he was able to set his own high standards.
By December, Iniesta, along with Barcelona, was able to get his hands on six trophies as Barcelona grabbed the sixth trophy of the season after the Christmas break. Iniesta proved to be of high value for the Spanish club. He was
the player, who was able to put together 7 Primera Liga trophies out of only eight outings, while the rival club Real Madrid was lagging behind the Catalan giants in the race for honours.
The Fuentealbilla home grown player was troubled by his injuries throughout the season. When he finally started featuring for Barcelona in October, the latter half of the season was ruined by the same thigh injury. Even though
he did not feel fit enough to feature for his club, he still managed 42 appearances in all competitions while Barcelona were busy defending their league title. Last season, Iniesta was able to contribute to the club with 8 vital assists and managed to bag
himself one goal. However, it is not how much he contributed with “goal scoring” or “assists”, it was far beyond that. It is basically his selfless devotion and his personal woes towards the club that makes him a player who stands out compared to all other
players.
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