Andres Iniesta retires from International football

Sideshow Bob

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Not sure you can really put them as the same generation of players Scholes had been playing for a decade before Iniesta came on the scene.

Best midfielder of the last decade, a joy to watch and basically untouchable when he had the ball.
 
Yeah I'll agree with you then probably not from the same generation. I always link them in my head as they've been two of my favourite players to watch. Scholes first professional game was 8 years before Iniesta's Barca debut so a massive time a part in the football sense when generally a top players career at the top level is about 10 years!
 
I think Iniesta kind of took over from Zidane in that guy you just enjoyed watching play, the way he effortlessly stroked the ball around the midfield and he could always find his way out of trouble with a drop of the shoulder or a drag back. Wherever you gave Iniesta the ball it always seemed like he had 2 or 3 moves in his head on how to find space it was unbelievable you think you had him trapped by 2 or 3 players then all of a sudden he's turned and is away.

Didn't score many goals but got some vital ones that one at Stamford Bridge to get the Pep team to the final in 09 when they were going out and obviously the winner in the WC final in 2010.

Tough as nails as well took no end of kicks and shoulders but kept getting up asking for more and the bravery to take the ball in any position under pressure shows how much class he had as a player.
 
I don't see Zidane and Iniesta similar myself. both outstanding players, Iniesta could seemed always in control no matter how many people were surrounding him, setting the rhythm etc.

Zidane was more of a stand out wow player, able to produce something unreal.

But yes, both extremely watchable but for diffeent reasons.

Can't wait for the next batch of players, this WC has highlighted that Messi and Ronaldo's time is up.
 
The reason I compare them is like Iniesta Zidane was a player who's stats on paper don't really back up his reputation the beauty of Zidane was watching him play and I felt the same with Iniesta. Iniesta wasn't really the dictator of the passing game that was Xavi but Iniesta was the guy who more often than not provided the killer moment that opened up the game he was normally the guy threading it through the gap in the defence which then setup the winger to cut it back for the striker to tap in.

I think it's way to early to say these boys are finished put back into their superstar club sides where they are surrounded by quality players they are still the best players in the world but the days of them doing it on their own on a regular basis are probably over and have been for a few years. They've both become much more reliant on their team mates at club level but at international level they don't have that luxury to fall back on if they don't do it all then nothing happens for them.

It will be interesting to see who steps up as the next generation but I think as long as these two remain at the Spanish giants they'll remain on top and while Ronaldo is making noises as usual I think there's still 2 years left of him at Madrid.
 
The reason I think their time is coming, looking at them at the WC, the movement isn't there like it once was and in Messi's case he seems to have lost a bit of pace.
I don't thin it's retirement time, far from it, but I expect a newbie for the ballon d'or.
 
It'll probably come down to who wins the World Cup because Ronaldo can point at his CL win with Madrid but he wasn't the main man in either the semi or the final but I'd still say for his 2018 so far he's the man in pole position. I don't particularly like these individual awards but it would be so much easier if they did it for the season rather than the calendar year.

If Brazil win the World Cup could Neymar take it from them this year? If he has a few stand out games in the knockout then starts next season in blistering form he might be able to do it.

It's a shame a guy like Iniesta never really got a look in with these two playing through his era but these two have had it locked down. Sniejder in 2010 helped Inter to a treble, Holland to a world cup final where he was arguably player of the tournament and still couldn't make it into the top 2.
 

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