Xavi: Messi is even better than Maradona

 

There is no doubt that the cerebral displays of Xavi Hernandez have been vital to the recent success of both Barcelona and Spain. And when lifting the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy in South Africa, the midfielder completed a victorious cycle he began in 1999, when part of his country's FIFA U-20 World Cup-conquering squad in Nigeria. Also a La Liga winner this calendar year with Barça, the 30-year-old would surely love to cap a wonderful 2010 with the FIFA Ballon d’Or award.
FIFA.com brings you a full and frank chat with the Catalan genius, touching on such topics as the lessons learned from South Africa 2010, his current form and the coveted award to be presented on 10 January 2011 in Zurich.
FIFA.com: Xavi, can you picture yourself winning the FIFA Ballon d’Or?Xavi: I’ll repeat what I’ve been telling everybody: I hope that a Spanish player wins it and if not, I hope it goes to my friend Leo Messi. He’s undisputably the best player in the world, and he’s going to win the Ballon d’Or several more times. But in World Cup years the tournament is a big factor, and Andres [Iniesta] and I won it, while La Albiceleste didn’t hit the heights expected of them.
Just how good is Messi?A player like him only comes around once every 50 years. The only reason the rest of us have any chance of winning this year is because the World Cup didn’t turn out too well for Argentina, because if it had, then it (the FIFA Ballon d’Or) would be no contest. In my view, Leo is now even better than [Diego] Maradona was. He’s going to be at the very top for many years to come, there’s nobody like him. He loves taking responsibility, he never hides away. And I’ve known him since he was a kid, I’ve watched him develop and I can say that he’s tremendously professional and has good people around him. He’s got all the ingredients for success.
What about Andres Iniesta?He’s simply something else - he’s a phenomenon. Last year he had back luck with injuries but this season he’s going to give us plenty to celebrate, just like at the World Cup when he scored the winner in the Final. The two of us work perfectly together.
And on a personal note, how are you doing?Physically I’m at breaking point. I’ve had to take a break because my Achilles tendon was really hurting me. But the rest has done me good, I’ve recharged my batteries.
Has the fact you’re a world champion totally sunk in yet?Yes, of course. Spain aren’t used to winning major titles like these, but we managed it at EURO 2008 and now the World Cup. What’s more, I’d highlight the fact that we’ve done it while playing good football, a commitment that deserves global recognition in the shape of an award. I was particularly pleased to hear FIFA President Joseph Blatter when he said that, at last, a team playing good football became world champions. Fortunately in football, talent is still more important than brute force. And we’ve got talent, we’ve got a generation of good footballers both at Barça and with Spain.