Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge believes there is one midfielder who does not get the respect he deserves.
Some midfielders are able to almost single-handedly control matches and craft chances out of nowhere, but few were able to do this as well as Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta.
His unpredictability whilst dribbling, visionary passing and playmaking abilities made him a real threat and it is no wonder he spent years playing at the highest level of European football.
Daniel Sturridge believes Iniesta was able to do things which seemed impossible, declaring the Spaniard as a ‘genius’.
He told Away Days: “Talk about tika taka, talk about one-twos, talk about pirouettes, talk about manipulating the ball in a short space. Next level, honestly.
“I think some of the stuff that guy did on the football pitch was, you’re looking at the TV thinking ‘surely that’s not just happened’. Surely he’s not just twisted up two guys in a little square and then took it out one, two. I mean, that guy was a genius on the ball. His technique was and also big goals in big moments.
Sturridge believes there are some who fail to give Iniesta the respect that he deserves and he is convinced the midfielder is one of the very best.
“When I think about him and all the things he’s achieved in his career, obviously went on to play in Japan I think for a long period of time as well,” Sturridge continued. “The guy for me is all-time legend. In some cases I don’t know if he gets the respect in terms of the same tier.
“We mention a lot of guys’ names. I think Iniesta is for sure in that upper tier of midfielders and he helped change the game.”
When asked if Iniesta was the greatest midfielder of all-time, Sturridge replied:
“I think technique wise, you can’t question it man. I think he’s inspired so many different midfielders in today’s game when you see the technique he has. He was just special.”
Despite both Barcelona and Liverpool being two of the top teams in Europe, Iniesta only ever featured once against Sturridge’s old club and it was while he was still at Manchester City.
He came off the bench during the 2006/07 Champions League last 16 first leg at the Nou Camp, which Liverpool won 2-1. Iniesta played the full 90 minutes of the Anfield leg which ended in a 2-1 victory for Barcelona, but Liverpool still progressed on away goals.
