Andrés Iniesta

Profile:

Full name     Andrés Iniesta Luján

Date of birth     11 May 1984 (age 30)

Place of birth     Fuentealbilla, Spain

Height     1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)

Playing position     Midfielder

Club            Barcelon

Number       8

Personal life:

 Since 2008, Iniesta has dated Anna Ortiz,[76] and in September 2010 he confirmed that she was pregnant with his child. On 3 April 2011 she gave birth to their daughter Valeria. The couple married on 8 July 2012. On 27 October 2013, he confirmed that Anna is pregnant with a baby boy. On 7 March 2014, Iniesta and his wife lost their son due to miscarriage.

In 2011, Iniesta invested €420,000 in his boyhood club, Albacete, thus becoming its major shareholder. Two years later, with the club facing administrative relegation to the fourth tier of Spanish football, he loaned them a further €240,000 to cover unpaid wages. Iniesta is a Catholic. He made a promise to walk the Way of Saint James if Spain won the 2010 World Cup.

Style of play:

Like fellow La Masia graduate Cesc Fàbregas, Iniesta originally started as a defensive midfielder,but his balance, ball control and agility allied with his skill on the ball saw him make progress as an attacking midfielder. Beyond his raw talent that was spotted at a young age by FC Barcelona's scouts, it was his great versatility, work ethic and inventiveness that allowed him to stake a claim on a first-team place at the age of 18.[66] Vicente del Bosque described him as "the complete footballer. He can attack and defend, he creates and scores," and Frank Rijkaard said "I played him as a false winger, central midfielder, deep midfielder and just behind the striker and he was always excellent." He was used initially as a wide-forward in the absence of Juan Román Riquelme and Ronaldinho by Louis van Gaal and Rijkaard respectively, but made his name as a world-class player in central midfield alongside or in lieu of Xavi, at both club and international level. As FIFA.com says, "It is in this position that his direct style and quick feet can be used to full effect, with the ball seeming glued to his toes as he races into threatening positions. Iniesta is a player known for his passing, dribbling, vision and movement."

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