Iniesta confirmed as one of world’s best

28 year old Andrés Iniesta was named player of the tournament at Euro 2012, confirming his status as one of the outstanding figures of modern football .

The Barça midfielder has insisted that it isn’t individual honours that matter as much to him as the joy he gets out of playing the sport he loves.
Ten years after making his FCB debut in a Champions League fixture in Bruges, Andrés Iniesta has been named man of the tournament at Euro 2012. The award is particularly special because it is usually given to strikers. “In many ways, Iniesta symbolises this tournament. He is creative and incisive on and off the ball”, said Andy Roxborough, UEFA technical director, after announcing the name of the winner.

The Spanish international has always said that individual accolades are far less important to him that what the team achieves as a whole. “I play for joy. If people then make evaluations of what I do, then I’m delighted” said the man whose many honours include five Spanish Leagues, three Champions Leagues, two Copas del Rey, two Clubs World Cups, two European Championships and one World Cup.