Andres Iniesta will be remembered for his joking remark during the victory parade in Madrid, where he said, “Si lo sé, no meto el gol” (If I’d known, I wouldn’t have scored), as he struggled with the acclaim and attention that followed his winning goal in the South Africa 2010 World Cup final against Holland.
In this interview with FIFA.com, the Barcelona superstar, who was named again in the FIFA FIFPro World XI last month, speaks about trophy-less 2014 with Barca and Spain’s group-stage elimination in Brazil.
What sets you apart from other midfielders and keeps getting you included in the world team of the year?
No, it’s just difficult to try to single out something you have that others don’t. Everyone possesses these qualities. From a personal standpoint, considering my style of play or my position on the field, I try to read the game quickly as I watch moves develop and work out where my teammates will be to link up with them. Every player has a designated role and job to do, and you just try to interpret that as best as you can. What I will say is that I find it very pleasing that my fellow pros have this perception of me and continue to include me in this team of the year, despite there being so many great players to choose from.
You’d have to agree that in the modern game, where there’s so little space and you have to run a lot more than people think.
Well, a lot of things are required. If this was an individual sport and not a team one, we wouldn’t be talking about any of this. So everyone has a job to do. Eleven of us make up the team and each of us has to be the best in his position. After that, you as an individual try to exploit your own qualities to the utmost. But yes, it’s true that in a sport that appears very physical at times, that bit of skill, quality or the ability to turn a game at the precise time can make the difference. After all, there’s so little between teams nowadays.
You said recently that, on balance, 2014 hadn’t been a good year for you as you hadn’t achieved your goals. Was that even more frustrating because you’d been so used to success?
Well there have been other not-so-great periods in my career too. It happens when you set yourself goals and objectives but don’t reach them. In that scenario, it’s difficult to talk about positives. But that’s part of sport as well. When you don’t achieve something, you need to be even more motivated the following year for whatever is coming next. Let’s be clear, though. This doesn’t happen because you’ve not tried hard enough – I mean, we all want to win – but sometimes you come up short and it just can’t be called a ‘positive’ year.
Which hurt more: losing La Liga on the final matchday or going out in the first round at the World Cup in Brazil?
Both were hard to digest, given their significance. We (Barcelona) had had a very difficult year in many respects, so to lose the league title at home in the final game was a big, big disappointment. The same applies to the World Cup. For a country like Spain, with the players we had, we expected to have a very good tournament and go a lot further than the first round. However, when you don’t do things well at tournaments like these, you pay a heavy price. And that’s what happened to us.
Did you continue to follow the World Cup after your elimination or did you need some distance?
Yes, well you still follow it, but it feels different when you’re no longer part of it. You don’t experience it the same way.
Would you agree with those who hailed it as the best World Cup ever?
Well, it had a bit of everything. There were some games with wonderful play and others that didn’t deliver as much. That said, a World Cup is a unique and incomparable landmark, where you gather the very best. In that sense Spain wasn’t, or rather we weren’t, good enough. That was painful, given all that had gone before and the team we had. We should have gone a bit further at the very least.
We imagine you were urging on Lionel Messi in the final…
Yes we were watching it. In that sense, it was a pity he couldn’t get his hands on the trophy. There were certain similarities between that final and ours against Holland like the chances missed and the winner coming in extra time. In truth, though, Germany had a really good World Cup.
Do you think Germany were deserving champions?
At the end of the day, everyone has their own take on that depending on how they interpret things. When you become champions, it’s very hard for anyone to take that away from you or say you didn’t deserve it. In the case of Germany, I think they had a very good tournament, but so did Argentina. Both were in the final on merit.
When you show up for work, how much are you affected by what’s written or said in the media?
Look, there’s no denying that when there’s so much talk on the outside and when it’s not about football or your play, it can affect things. You try, or at least should try, to ignore all of that because a lot of it isn’t true. The sheer number of reports can annoy you. That said, we know we’re at a club where a lot is asked of you, where everything is magnified tenfold. There are so many opinions and a lot of things can come from that. When things aren’t going exactly to plan, then we have to deal with those kind of situations. The only way we can change that and make the public more settled is by playing well and winning. That way they forget a bit about all the stuff on the outside and focus instead on what their players are doing on the pitch.
What surprised you most about what was said at the time? The possible departure of Messi?
I hope and wish that Leo can be with Barça for a long time, because he has been, is and will be fundamental to our competing for honours. That’s my sole desire.
And what are Barça’s aspirations at present?
We are out to win everything we can and have a lot to look forward to. We’ve got a great team and the disappointment of last year has to be a motivation for us to show our true colours and try to end this season with a smile on our faces and our fans celebrating a title once more.
You’re set to turn 31 in May. Would it be true to say you run less these days, but more effectively?
No way! You have to run more. Football is so competitive and demanding these days, both in terms of the games you play and the opponents you face, whether domestically or in the Champions League. The only advantage that the passing years gives you is the experience to deal with certain scenarios and read the game. I think I now have what it takes to continue on the same upward trajectory that I’ve been able to follow so far.
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