Andres Iniesta is one of the biggest names of modern football, with his majestic presence in the Barcelona and Spanish midfield. He was a major part of the historic teams that have won him a lot of trophies with the teams, including the World Cup and the Champions League in addition to the domestic trophies. On his birthday, let us take a look back to his greatest moments on a football field.
Champions League Semifinal Goal against Chelsea
In the 2008-09 Champions League semifinal, Barcelona were 1-0 down in the second leg, facing a certain exit from the cup. They failed to have a single shot on target during the whole game. During the 93rd minute, Messi found Iniesta, whose right-footed thunder flew past Cech, which obviously turned out to be the winner.
World Cup Winner Against Netherlands
In the 2010 World Cup, Spain started out as one of the favorites to win the tournament. The final against the Netherlands started out as a high-intensity physical game. The game went on goalless to the extra time. Iniesta found the net at the 116th minute with his right foot. This moment went on to be the most memorable Iniesta moments for football fans all around the world.
Champions League Final Assist to Rakitic
In the 2015 Champions League final against Juventus, Iniesta set the course for Barcelona early in the game. At the 4th minute mark, the Barcelona captain had a great run to the box to receive Neymar’s ball. With pinpoint accuracy, he passed it to Rakitic who had a quite easy finish to put Barcelona in the lead.
A Standing Ovation at Santiago Bernabeu, the Home of Real Madrid
In 2015, Iniesta captained Barcelona for the first time in an El Classico in Madrid. Barcelona was in total control of the game, with Iniesta’s vision, passing ability and overall performance as a midfield general. He picked up a cracking goal and an assist in a dominant 4-0 performance for Barcelona. The Bernabeu faithful appreciated his performance and offered a standing ovation to the Catalan. It puts him in the good company of Maradona and Ronaldinho in terms of receiving such an honor to a Barcelona player from the Real Madrid fans.
SEXTUPLE WINNING SEASON
During the season of 2014-15, Barcelona had won all six of the trophies they could have won. Iniesta was one of the biggest parts of the midfield equation, with Xavi’s decreasing influence in the team. Iniesta started appearing as captains at the team and worked as the creative fuel for the team. He captained the team against Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final and against Juventus in the Champions League final, which will be looked at as the best moments of his career.
