Is there anything that Andrés Iniesta can't do?
Monday, June 13, 2016
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"It was wonderful to finish the game like that, scoring a goal in the very last minutes," Spain's Andrés Iniesta told EURO2016.com; team reporter Graham Hunter salutes the maestro.
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There comes a time when you are forced to ask: Is there anything Andrés Iniesta can't do?
Yes, he's an all-time great. Yes, he's accumulated more trophies and medals than anyone in Spanish (perhaps even world) history. Yes, he was player of this tournament four years ago, having also scored the FIFA World Cup winning goal. This we knew.
It is also well documented that after the 2009 UEFA Champions League final Wayne Rooney branded him the "best player in the world". And that with Barcelona in 2014/15 the midfielder claimed a second treble.
Yet this is a man who has often been misunderstood and underestimated. Some mistakenly thought of him as a beautiful soloist, capable of heavenly notes, but not necessarily as an orchestra leader.
True, Sergio Ramos wore the captain's armband for Monday's 1-0 Group D win against the Czech Republic in the absence of Iker Casillas, relegated to the bench. However, Iniesta played as if there was a leadership vacuum, which there actually wasn't.
The more Pavel Vrba's clever, intricate and demanding scheme frustrated the reigning champions, and the more Petr Čech blocked wonderful chances from Álvaro Morata, David Silva and Jordi Alba, the more Iniesta rose to the challenge.
The 32-year-old dragged Czechs right, left and centre. He danced past them. He probed, passed and prompted. If he'd had a baton nobody would have blinked an eye. The tune, the tempo and the timpani were all his – and the rhythm was 'allegro'.
All around him there were players giving B+ performances who, steadily, upped their games to A+ thanks to his words, work and wonderful technical ability.
It was one of those displays which always had the hue of: 'We won't lose this one, not on my watch!'
Put it to him, though, and he'll point out that filigree isn't everything – finishing the job is.
Post match he told EURO2016.com "Playing well is all very well but you have to score to put your seal on the match, and we didn't manage that until the very last minutes.
"All the same I think we performed well – we made it hard for our opponents to get out of their own box and usually that catches up with them.
"We had to find a way through sooner or later. It's a victory which puts us in a pretty good position, so we can be more confident about what awaits us. This match gave me some positive feelings."
Vrba, you can be sure, will scold the full-back who allowed Iniesta to turn off his left foot and cross, right-footed, to find club Gerard Piqué for a subtle, match-winning header.
Cue Iniesta: "Geri was awesome and it was wonderful to finish the game like that, scoring a goal in the very last minutes."
Tell anyone who saw this that Iniesta then piloted the flight home and they'll believe you.