Is Andres Iniesta a better player than Zinedine Zidane?
International awards
Zidane has received more international award than Iniesta winning the FIFA World Player of the Year three times, in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and the Ballon D'Or in 1998. The two awards were amalgamated in 2010. Iniesta took the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award in 2012. The Barcelona midfielder, three times in the top four of the FIFA Ballon d'Or, hasn't won as many personal awards as Zidane but Zidane did not have the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo around at the time
Iniesta's individual awards:
UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament (2): 2008, 2012
UEFA Euro 2008 Man Of The Match: Semi-final vs. Russia
La Liga Spanish Player of the Year: 2009
La Liga's Best Attacking Midfielder (3): 2009, 2011, 2012
Trofeo Alfredo di Stéfano: 2nd best player in La Liga 2008-09, 3rd 2011-12.
FIFA/FIFPro World XI (4): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
UEFA Team of the Year (4): 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
Ballon d'Or: 4th Place 2009
FIFA Puskás Award: Second place 2009
2010 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team
2010 FIFA World Cup Man Of The Match vs. Chile, Paraguay and Final vs Netherlands
Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010
FIFA Ballon d'Or: 2nd place 2010, 4th Place 2011, 3rd Place 2012
ESM Team of the Year: 2011
UEFA Champions League Best Player: 2011-2012
UEFA Euro 2012 Man Of The Match vs. Italy, Croatia, Final vs Italy
UFA Euro Player of the Tournament: 2012
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 2012
IFFHS World's Best Playmaker 2012
Zidane's individual awards:
Golden Ball: 1998
FIFA World Footballer of the Year: 1998, 2000, 2004
UEFA Most Valuable Player of 2001/02: 2002
Playing companions
Much has been made of the fact that Iniesta is not as great as Zidane because of the players he has played with. Certainly Iniesta is playing for arguably the greatest club side in the history of the game, and precisely one of the reasons they are such a great side is because Iniesta not only plays for them but is one of the leading lights of this great Barcelona side. Much is made of the fact that Iniesta has the likes of Messi to feed with assists.
But it is also worth noting that Zidane only ever won one La Liga title and one Champions League despite playing alongside players like, Spain's captain Fernando Hierro, the Brazilian Ronaldo, Luis Figo and arguably the greatest legend in the history of Spanish football, Raul. At Juventus he played with following players during his stay: World Cup winners Alessandro Del Piero, Didier Deschamps, Felipe Inzaghi, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet. Antonio Conte (Champions League and five-time Serie A winner), Edgar Davids (Champions League and three-time Serie A winner).
Plus, I wouldn't say the France team that won the 1998 World Cup was bad and that Zidane did everything for the side, as it featured the likes of Patrick Vieira, Laurent Blanc, Bixente Lizarazu, Youri Djorkaeff, Deschamps, Robert Pires, Henry, Lilian Thuram and Trezeguet.
Other players' comments
In 2009, after Barcelona had beaten Manchester United in the Champions League final, Wayne Rooney said, "Forget Messi, Iniesta is the best player in the world." And since that date, Iniesta has only got better.
Robert Pires said only last week: "For me Iniesta is the best player at Barca. We always talk about Messi, but without Iniesta, Barcelona area different team. He is the master of the team. He's the one who sets the pace for the whole team."
Juan
