Iniesta, the Ali of football

Kiev, July 2: ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali once said he “floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee” and now he seems to have found a worthy successor, although not in the ring.

Ali was astonishingly light on his feet for a heavyweight, while his footwork and movement was grace itself. And yet his wicked hand speed ensured he also had a knock-out punch capable of felling even the mighty George Foreman.

And now in the form of Andres Iniesta there is a footballer whose own skills and prowess seem a match for the Louisville Lip. Although slight of frame and quiet of temperament, Iniesta is a different proposition once his boots are laced up.

With a feint here or a shimmy there he creates half a yard of space even when surrounded by two or three opponents.

And then with a burst of acceleration he darts through a gap and into the space between midfield and defence, sending panicked centre-halves into an awkward back-peddle as his eyes dance around in search of a supporting red shirt.

With the precision, accuracy and venom of an Ali punch he fires a perfectly weighted pass into his supporting runner’s path as the opponents’ defence parts like the Red Sea.

In fact, it was a sea of red shirts that overwhelmed Italy in the Euro 2012 final here on Sunday. Small, nippy but technically perfect Spaniards zipped passes around as the otherwise talented Italians failed to get a foothold in the game.

Iniesta was the tormentor in chief, ably aided by his fellow architect Xavi as the pair fed the likes of willing runners Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, not to mention the galloping full-back Jordi Alba. “For me, it’s not that important to score goals,” he said modestly afterwards. “It’s not the most important thing.

“It’s not even important if you win the Ballon d’Or. I just want to enjoy what I’m doing and if people appreciate that, then I’m happy.” DEL BOSQUE LAUDS GOLDEN GENERATION Spain coach Vicente del Bosque hailed a “great generation of footballers” after seeing his side romp to a 4-0 win over Italy in the final of Euro 2012 in Kiev on Sunday.

The one-sided victory made Spain the first team to successfully defend a European Championship title, as well as the first side in history to win three consecutive major international tournaments.

Several of the team’s players, including Xavi, captain Iker Casillas, and man of the match Andres Iniesta, have featured in all three triumphs, and Del Bosque said they were a shining example for the country.

“We’re talking about a great generation of footballers,” he said. “They have roots, and they know how to play together because they come from a country where they learn to play properly.

As he had done on two previous occasions at the tournament, Del Bosque elected to field Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas as a ‘false nine’ centre-forward at the tip of his side’s attack.

It proved an extremely successful tactic against Italy, but Del Bosque dismissed suggestions that he had revolutionised the game with his tactical innovation. “There’s not only one (way of playing) football,” he said. “The important thing is to score goals. We have a very balanced team. We have security in our players. We have great strikers, but we chose to play with players who went better with our style.”

Applauded into the room by journalists at his post-game press conference, Del Bosque saluted the foundations laid down by his predecessor, Luis Aragones, who guided Spain to victory at Euro 2008. — AFP