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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
i guess if i had to choose a single superhero of the tournament, pirlo stands out as a single-man team. but here's the thing-- was pirlo really the best? or did he just stand out because he was so central to italy? because iniesta was amazing but you could take him out & spain wouldn't collapse the way italy wouldn't work with pirlo under pressure.
still though the two players that made the greatest impression for me were pirlo and buffon--the way buffon commanded his team, damn!!
btw someone already put together iniesta's reel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNgNmaOHg4U
(you might wanna play that on mute, but the visual's are amazing)
(wow, that guy is really extraordinary) |
It's a difficult one. As you say, Pirlo stood out but had a team built around him, while Iniesta was very much a cog in a bigger wheel. Given Spain's system, to award an individual player almost seems to deny the very point of what they 'mean', in a footballing sense. But these awards exist and if it goes to the player who really shone in a tournament, I'd still have to go with Pirlo, even if Italy's set up made it easier for him than Spain's did for Iniesta. Actually, in terms of isolating one Spanish player who I thought was most key to their success throughout the tournament, I'd maybe even go with Xabi-Alonso over Iniesta.
Saying all that, I then watch that youtube clip you linked and find myself immediately agreeing with you. Yes, Iniesta
is just extraordinary.