Guillem Balague debates that Andres Iniesta is better Zinedine Zidane

Toss-up for me. Granted, I'm not really a big fan of either tbh

And let's keep in mind, the article is debating which is better, not which will be "more remembered as an individual", or who's better than who because "this guy played in soooo many different leagues while his guy didn't".

kiranr wrote:
If Iniesta took shots and scored a few more goals, preferably clutch goals, then they would be on the same level.

In my opinion, that is the difference between Zidane and Iniesta.

Dude, Zidane may have scored more goals but how many more clutch goals can iniesta put in??? He's already got quite the catalog of clutch goals.

kiranr wrote:
If Iniesta took shots and scored a few more goals, preferably clutch goals, then they would be on the same level.

In my opinion, that is the difference between Zidane and Iniesta.

really now...

First of all iniesta has scored clutch goals. Second of all iniesta doesnt take shots because his shooting is crap

Thing is Zidane didn't really score more goals though, well he did but it wasn't a boat load more to make it relevant.

Like Iniesta he didn't score many but when he did it tended to happen in massive games.

I don't think that is an area where either player can be looked at and say he needs to do more.

Goalscoring isn't an expertise of either of them.

Okay, i may have been wrong there, but if that does not separate them, then it is a toss-up between both for me.

Yeah, either way neither player is a goalscorer. They have some good ones but its not what they do. Iniesta also has major games in which he destroys teams without getting on the scoresheet. Best example: euro 2012 final. Four different players scored the goals. Iniesta wasnt one of them but he was still the MOTM. Same thing 4 years before that in the 2008 semi final, only that time it was three goals and not 4. Some say Zidane was better at dictating the match itself but iniesta has proven many times that he could be just as crucial.

Edit: @ mole, zizou does have a good number of goals over andres but he's also got almost twice the number of appearances. Iniesta easily has another 3-5 years in him to make his career even more complete.

This is a stupid argument because Iniesta's career is far from finished.

For people saying Iniesta will not be remembered is just flat out nonsense. HE is so vital to Spain and Barcelona and has scored such huge goals for both to win way more then Zidane could dream of.

I mean he scored the goal in overtime to FINALLY win Spain there first world cup. That is huge as Spain is one of the best footballing powers on the planet and had such great players come through there but it was Iniesta to win them there long awaited first World Cup. And I believe he was player of the tournament.

I know people gloss over it like it's nothing but it is a huge moment in the history of football.

So now Iniesta for Spain on the trot has 2 Euro's and a World cup what's to say if they win WC 2014 with Iniesta being as influential as he was in those previous tournaments then it's really hard to keep saying Zidane's better.

Especially because he will probably IMO win another 3-4 La Liga titles and 1-2 Champions League titles.

You can say what you want about France but Zidane was playing with great players at Madrid and the trophy haul doesn't match the talent and you play most of your football for your club not your country.

So Iniesta's achievements at club level will dwarf Zidane's IMO. IF he was the leader that all of you keep saying he was then he should have been able to pull that Madrid team together to win more titles.

Right now I would say Zidane is slightly ahead of Iniesta but Iniesta is in perfect position to take over Zidane's spot on the footballing greats list as he is going to win a ton of more huge trophies.

And I totally agree with others that Zidane is hyped up way beyond how good he was and he was great.

But I bet you people would say Zidane is better then Messi which would just prove my point. Because they bring up things that are not tangible like leadership and big game performances like Inista hasn't been great in tons of big games etc.

I compare it to Jordan. I love Jordan and will forever. But people of my generation will never say someone is better then Jordan even if there stats and trophies are better then his.

They will point to his will to win, work ethic, big game performances etc etc

It's just the way the world works.

This is no fair comparison anyway. Iniesta never found himself in a position where he'd have to carry his team and country, while Zidan's teams where built around him and that amplified his impact.

Dnmac4 wrote:


So Iniesta's achievements at club level will dwarf Zidane's IMO.

Well this is fact. And he's dwarfed him at NT level as well. Yes he's had great teammates on both sides but he's still played as much a crucial part as anyone else for most of those titles.

zizzle wrote:This is no fair comparison anyway. Iniesta never found himself in a position where he'd have to carry his team and country, while Zidan's teams where built around him and that amplified his impact.

Ok but just because iniesta never found himself in those situations doesn't mean his contributions were any less important. And in the WC 2010 final, he was totally in that position. The team may not have been built around him but just think what would've been had it not been for his finish.

Swanhends wrote:Toss-up for me. Granted, I'm not really a big fan of either tbh

How is that even possible?

Two of the most elegant, beautiful players in the last couple decades. These are the players that make this game such a joy to watch. I may not have watched football much back when Zidane was active, but I caught a few games and even though he was a Madrid player it was a guilty pleasure of mine to watch him and I would gorge myself on Zidane videos on Youtube as a young kid.

Watching Iniesta now is a pleasure of mine I would not trade for many things.

I respect your opinion Bhends, I simply find it ridiculous because I don't understand.

On topic:

I find the comparison valid and I think they are close, but I will reserve judgement until Iniesta's career is over. That being said, I love them both, I enjoy them both...I don't want to compare I just want to enjoy the moments I have/had watching these magnificent artists.

barca 2011 wrote:

Dnmac4 wrote:


So Iniesta's achievements at club level will dwarf Zidane's IMO.

Well this is fact. And he's dwarfed him at NT level as well. Yes he's had great teammates on both sides but he's still played as much a crucial part as anyone else for most of those titles.

WC+Euro being the PoT in both > WC+2xEuro being PoT in one.

Harmonica wrote:

barca 2011 wrote:

Dnmac4 wrote:


So Iniesta's achievements at club level will dwarf Zidane's IMO.

Well this is fact. And he's dwarfed him at NT level as well. Yes he's had great teammates on both sides but he's still played as much a crucial part as anyone else for most of those titles.

WC+Euro being the PoT in both > WC+2xEuro being PoT in one.

But, being MOTM in two of those finals is almost as glorious! Either way, we're splitting hairs at that point

I've already stated this a couple of months ago.

Zidane was a massive talent - arguably one of the best midfielders to ever play the game. He is definitely a legend in football and if you asked me a couple of years ago I would of definitely said Zizou.

But I feel Iniesta has surpassed him recently. The consistency and performances that Iniesta has put since 2007 (he wasn't too bad before that either, but the performances did improve A LOT) has been massive not only to Barcelona but to Spain also. He's amazing to watch and to say "he doesn't score enough goals" is just ridiculous. After all, Zidane was hardly a prolific scorer himself. They've both scored vital vital goals though. And people tend to remember the vital goals later on in the future.

Zinedine Zidane is a top 10 all time player, Andreas Iniesta is not, case closed.