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It’s long been said that opportunity makes the man, that the big occasion grants its greatest performer an indelible place amongst legends. In today's world of soccer, one man has become synonymous with such moments. Andres Iniesta has consistently provided for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team during their times of greatest need.
Iniesta is likely the only player who’ll ever be crowned Man of the Match in a World Cup final (2010), European Championship final (2012) and a Champions League final (2015). During Saturday's El Clasico victory over rivals Real Madrid, Iniesta continued to add to his legend with a goal, assist and Man of the Match performance.
It was Iniesta’s 53rd goal for Barcelona across La Liga, Copa del Rey and European competition. Of the matches those 53 goals have been scored in, not a single one has ever ended in a loss for the Blaugrana. For Spain, Iniesta’s record is very much the same: 13 international goals, not a single one registered in a defeat for La Furia Roja. In all, that’s 66 goals registered without once being on the losing side.
When El Caballero Pálido scores, his teams never lose. He's a goal scoring oracle, a harbinger of good times. You could say he’s the ultimate lucky charm, except Andres Iniesta creates his own luck by scoring brilliant, important goals during the most difficult of circumstances.
“He picks the right moment to do everything: when to dribble, when to speed things up and when to slow things down.” Juan Román Riquelme told FIFA.com.
Real Madrid supporters graciously acknowledged Iniesta's genius on Saturday, Don Andrés becoming the third Barcelona player to receive applause from the Santiago Bernabéu crowd after Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho.
He’s the only Spanish player to win Man of the Match awards at least once in three consecutive international tournaments. His most timely goals include the decider in the 2010 World Cup final, a goal against Chile in the 2010 World Cup group stage, the 2011 Spanish Supercup and his stunner in the 2009 Champions League semi-final against Chelsea.
Along with his goal scoring feats, he's assisted in three Champions League finals (2009, 2011 and 2015). Andres Iniesta is the best big-game European performer since Zinedine Zidane.
Zidane cemented his place as one of the game’s most clutch players with standout performances in the 1998 World Cup final, during EURO 2000, the 2002 Champions League final and throughout France’s remarkable run to the 2006 World Cup final.
Zidane is quoted as saying, “Iniesta really impresses me. He’s got so much influence in Spain’s game. He reminds me of myself, but he is paler than me.” While Zidane was instrumental throughout France's golden era, as is Iniesta for Spain, a comparison of their Champions League statistics also confirms their shared propensity to excel on the biggest stage.
If anything, Iniesta hasn't simply reached the level of Zidane, he's surpassed the great Zizou.
Photo: @grussini | Twitter
