Posts tagged Andres Iniesta

In one and a half hours (6.30 pm Spanish time) FIFA Ballon d’Or gala will start and the winner will be announced! Is it going to be Iniesta, Messi or Xavi? 

Follow the event live at FIFA.com.

Italian newspaper Gazetta Dello Sport guarantees that Andrés Iniesta will win the Ballon d’Or, Xavi will be second and Messi third. As for the coaches, Del Bosque will win, Mourinho will be second and Pep will be third.

Gazetta dello Sport is not a 100% reliable source, although just a week ago, the same newspaper named the top three and they were proved right. 

However here are some thoughts from…

Andres Iniesta: “Beyond who will win the award on January 10, it will be an historic and unforgettable event. It’s great that three Barça players that have grown up through the ranks and were formed here should be up for these types of awards. It has an incalculable value.”

Iker Casillas: “I’m disappointed not to get into the finalists. They are great players and, in fairness, I hope Messi will understand, I opted for Xavi and Iniesta. Messi is the best in the world, but I prefer them.”

Read more …

Iniesta, Messi and Xavi!

FIFA coach of the year finalists: Del Bosque, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho

gif spam because Spain’s angel deserves all the love…

From father to son

“It’s more gratifying when people tell me that I’m a role model for children than getting sports awards. When a father comes and tell you ‘thank you, because of you I know how to tell my son some things, and I have passed very comfortably.’”

As you will tell your daughter the stories of South Africa and six titles?
“(laughs a lot) Help me a little here…”

A little. “Once upon a time”…
“…A boy who always had the dream of playing in the First Division, being a good football player and a good person, and who never thought he could enjoy all he has achieved so far. A child who was very satisfied with less, but thanks to everyone and everything that surrounded him it was all possible. And this child is your father.”

That could turn into a beautiful lullaby, because you can go by that idea for sleepless nights…

“It’s nice to think about parenthood. I am very excited and when the day comes I will face it very well, I’ll tell you when she is born! Everyone tells me that it’s amazing, and I have to live this experience.”

 “I want to instill the values that my parents passed on to me in my child. In that sense they are the real number one, world champions.”

Read more …

Pep: “How we did it - that makes us proud. Now just let us sit back and enjoy that win - we’ll reflect and look at the whole game, but now it would be wrong not to revel in the win. Games like that happen very rarely indeed. There are still a lot of games left to play in this league. We were the better team tonight, but both teams are at a very high level. We are only two points ahead and Real Madrid remain an impressive team”. 

Puyol: “I wanted to defend my teammate because I think it’s a very hard tackle. We have many friends in the Real Madrid dressing room, and we do not have problems with it. Whatever happens on the field let’s finish it in the field. I have a good relationship with Ramos, and the incident had been forgotten. There’s other important things I should think. This victory gave us a confidence. The team played well and we want to defend it.”

Iniesta: “We have played a great game. We had to play with great intensity and the team has put on a great performance. It was a very big margin, as they almost had no attacking options. We know that this is not winning the league, but just a small step. We have been spectacular and put on a show for both the players and public.”

David Villa: “It was very important to win. We looked for the victory and we succeeded. We wanted to get ahead and secure a lead. And what better way than the way we have done it. We could not have asked for more. We must now continue to work hard as we are only in November. The title wasn’t lost prior to the match, and neither is it won. We have an advantage, but we now have to keep on winning.”

Dani Alves: “This team is capable of anything. The League doesn’t end here and we must continue with the same modesty.”

Mourinho: “I am not humiliated at all. This is the biggest defeat I have ever suffered in league play. It is hard to swallow because we never had a chance of winning. It wasn’t one of those defeats that leave a bad taste in your mouth because we didn’t deserve to lose or because the referee performed badly or because the ball hit the post. One team played as well as it could and the other played badly. It is a deserving win and a deserving defeat, which makes it easy to swallow.”

Xabi Alonso: “Barcelona were the better team  in all facets and we must look back to understand the mistakes we made. Their two early goals made things a lot easier for them and much more complicated for us. We did not expect thins, but there is still a lot of season left and nothing has finished. We are not happy, but we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. We must only look towards the future.”