Head of French football magazine ‘France Football’ Pascal Ferre has issued an apology to Andres Iniesta for never selecting the Barcelona midfielder for the Ballon d’Or award chosen by the magazine.
The Spaniard is set to leave Barcelona to join Chinese club Chongqing Dangdai Lifan at the end of the season, and is widely expected to make the announcement in the next few days, according to a report by The Independent.
“He is the best facilitator of play of all time. The majority of his contemporaries make their lives complicated, but he has enjoyed himself on the pitch for 15 years, making everything simple. Without any vanity, he only thinks about bringing the play to life,” Ferre said.
Lastly, the prestigious magazine said it is “an anomaly” that a player of the quality of the Barcelona midfielder has never won the Ballon d’Or.
“Of all the absences on the list of Ballon d’Or winners, his is very painful,” said the editor.
Andres Iniesta joined Barcelona as a youth player in 1996 and progressed to the first team, making his debut in 2002 as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make over 650 appearances for the Spanish giants.
Now 33, Iniesta is set to play in the Chinese Super League next season despite many pleading for him to stay in Europe, including Real Betis boss Quique Setein.
The former Racing Santander midfielder tweeted: “Iniesta, please, don’t go to China, come to Betis!”
A sentiment that is surely felt by managers across Europe.
