Barcelona hero Andres Iniesta once snubbed Lionel Messi and named ex-Arsenal midfielder among his 5 favourite players of all-time

Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta once snubbed Lionel Messi while naming his five favorite players of all time. The iconic Spanish midfielder is one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.

Iniesta rose through the ranks at Camp Nou, and played a key role in the Catalans' recent success. The 41-year-old spent 16 seasons with the LaLiga champions, winning 32 titles, including the league as well as the Champions League.

Iniesta left Barcelona in the summer of 2018 to move to Vissel Kobe, before joining UAE Pro League side Emirates in 2023. The Spaniard, who won the 2010 World Cup and two Euros with La Roja, retired in October 2024.

Iniesta shared the pitch with some of the best players of the world during his career, including Lionel Messi. However, the former midfielder surprisingly ignored the Argentine maestro when asked to name his five favorite players at the Match for Hope charity game in February this year.

Iniesta opted for his former Barcelona and Spain teammate Xavi, with whom he played 486 times for club and country. David Silva and former Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla also made the cut, as did Michael Laudrup and Pep Guardiola. Interestingly, Andres Iniesta appeared 181 times under Guardiola at Camp Nou, registering 23 goals and 52 assists.

How many times did Andres Iniesta share the pitch with Lionel Messi for Barcelona?

Andres Iniesta played the most games of his career alongside Lionel Messi. The duo shared the pitch on 488 occasions, all during their time together with Barcelona. They registered 336 wins and lost just 56 of those games, and even contributed 53 goals together.

Speaking after Argentina's 2022 FIFA World Cup triumph, Iniesta hailed La Pulga as the best.

"For me, Messi is the best with or without [winning] a World Cup. I think the fact he has won a World Cup, more than what other people [think], is a huge source of happiness for himself. Not just for him, but for Argentina as a country," said Iniesta.

He continued:

"They are always in the running and the fact they've won it in the way they did makes it totally deserved. I am sure anyone who doesn't view Messi as the best will find an excuse to keep seeing it that way, regardless of whether he won the World Cup or not."

Lionel Messi registered 672 goals and 303 assists from 778 games for Barcelona in his career.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written more than 9500 articles for the website, and has garnered close to 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Deepungsu Pandit