A midfield so legendary, that for years here in Argentina there was the belief that Messi couldn't play as well for the national squad because of their absence.
@@beneyweneys yea, even though Messi was Argentina's best player people should not forget to rate the impact of McAllister, de Paul and Enzo. For the first time Messi had a stable team behind him (basically since scaloni joined) that allowed him to excel. Messi wouldnt have won without them, but also Argentina wouldn't have won without Messi.
Yes the fall of Fc Barcelona then started from 2015 onwards with Bartomeu being unable to replace Xavi and later on Iniesta also. He only got mediocre bad mid-fielders bought that was nothing compared to Xavi and Iniesta. Bartomeu for some reason shut down LaMasia that I thought was stupid, because Barca gets easily great young players for no price at all from there and then he proceeds to buy for very expensive players that were never worthy of their price, but why didnt he be able to get new great mid-field, because thats what Fc Barcelona needed for succeding and thats why Fc Barcelona slowly buy surely started falling down and Messi could not carry the team on his own.
@@Jout8-re1ij well now Barcelona have a very good young midfield with lots of potential. You have Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Pablo Torre, Pau Prim.
Worth noting that when Pep brought Busquets into the first team Yaya Touré was playing in that position. And he was crushing it. At the time people thought Pep was nuts to play a young, unknown Busquets instead of Yaya.
It’s crazy how dominant these guys were, and if you look at them, none of them scream world class athlete, but they were the engine behind the success of the Barcelona machine.
15 Km in a world cup finals after running all tournament seems a lot though... Maybe they were not world class athletes, but world class football players...
@@majormononoke8958 What are you on about... Of course they are world class athletes you wouldn't be able to be that consistent in football without athleticism lmao... What the main comment is trying to say is, they may not look the part but they are a big factor to Barcelona and Messi's success.
@@majormononoke8958 Also to further add calling them not world class athletes but world class football players is daft because its almost the same thing.... When you call them a world class athlete or a world class football player its almost the same thing because the only difference is if you use the term athlete you're just using the generalized term used to describe people who are professional in a sport/s.
The crazier thing about these 3 was they all came from the same footballing school. They weren't fast or tall (Busi is tall i know), but good fkin luck trying to take the ball from em. Xavi, will keep the ball forever. Don Andres, will get it in absolute shite conditions and give it back to you on a golden plate. And Busi, will orchestrate the team's movement from his position. It's been a pleasure. The 3 of you + The GOAT Leo, Dani Alves and El Capita Puyol. They made me a Barça fan. And that made me a football fan. I grew up watching them toy around with world class players for almost two decades. It's sad this will end, but boy I am glad to see it all. And with the internet, I'll always rewatch them. Because that team was frightening if you're not a fan, as a fan? The gigantic confidence I had during those days I tell ya. Visca Barça!
@@FootballIconic i know dude. Especially these days where players price are 150 million each. It's mad. It gets more bonkers when you know about half of that legendary team was home grown dude. It's unbelievable how great La Masia was. Generational talents and almost all of them from that era reached legendary statuses. Either in Barça itself or somewhere else (Fabregas, Luis Garcia, Thiago Motta, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Thiago Alcantara, Icardi, Mikel Arteta just to name some of them from that specific era) Imagine that as well, having so much talent that ya can't even play them all in one team. Something like the Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard era for England in the 2000s. Can ya blame me why I fell in strong deep love with this bloody club. It's overloaded with greatness. Almost fiction like when you read about it all the way back to it's humble beginnings. Many many thanks to the Father of Modern Football himself Johan Cruyff for all of this. Imma stop now before the tears gets too heavy ay. Cheers.
The Barcelona team of 2011 was truly legendary. Literally none of the players were physical specimens, but they were so skilled and competent at passing the ball that pressing them was useless. Shows that at the end of the day, football ain't all about athleticism.
I always felt like Busquets never got his flowers bc he played next to Xavi and Iniesta. Often he gets overlooked and you won't see his name mentioned in talks of great mildfielders. As you said people lean towards more offensive/attacker heavy players, while Sergio was more defensive. Also I think this video further shows just how great Pep is. Whom still gets disrespect from football fans. Pep noticed all these guys potential before anyone else and called it. He's a mastermind, master tactician, and elite at seeing talent and potential. As a Barca fan these guys spoiled me on what a midfield should look like and how one should perform. When I watch teams that have crazy talent up front but struggle to score, I'm always like "I swear if this team gets a good midfield, they'll run this league." That is my usual comment on Angel City FC here in the States. The creative, playmaking work of midfielders is underappreciated bc viewers just see scores, not the setup for the score. This isnt hockey where every player who took part in a goal score setup gets credited for an assist.
@@tris421 Pep was their teammate before their coach....Did you not hear Pep's comments about them while they were teammates? You do know Pep was on the team as a player not just a coach? lol
@@tris421 and Barca still failed the last season before Pep joined regardless of xavi and iniesta. Also note that they were still pretty young and inexperienced. Pep carved the path for their talents to make progress.
Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets… all blessed with talent AND a good attitude, all as humble as ever and that’s why they achieved legendary careers. No egos, just humble geniuses that love the game. We will never see it again.
All the essential skills needed to run a team put and compacted in these 3 players. Sad to see Busi is leaving Barca but he is leaving huge huge shoes to fill. Definitely every Midfielder idolises Iniesta Xavi and Busquets. Players like them are a coach’s dream!
it depends really. For them to function well you need absolute world class forwards to take the ball in the final third and convert. They were "fortunate" to have had the company of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry, Messi, Villa, Torres, Neymar and Suarez. You can see with the current Spanish team they have great passers and insane control but they lost to Morrocco because no one was able to finish chances. You also need an insane press from the entire team including all forwards because out of possession they can be left expoded (as was showcased by Bayern's 7-0 over them and the Netherlands beating them 5-1 in 2014). They are definitely my favourite midfield of all time and all 3 would feature in my "best team of all time", but that would only work because of the other players I'd include. If you have a bad front line I'd rather have City's current midfield as De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva and even at times Rodri can all provide goals.
@@daarom3472 thats facts as much as a love all 3 of em no one is taking into account the world class forwars they had neymar,messi,suarez,ronaldinho,samuel eto’o, thierry henry among the plenty of other world class finishers
Spain won rhe world cup sub20 in 1999. Xavi dominated that tournament. He played in the role he would play years later, a bit more advanced than the 4. It was a masterclass.
Yes, because they defined their positions to the point that we reference them when we teach/analyse any midfield player according to their position or qualities.
As someone who is only 1.70m in height and was rarely selected for my team in the 70s because of that, I always enjoyed watching Xavi and Iniesta. And Maradona, And Messi. And Pirlo. They all made the tall guys look like parking-meters, and I just loved it.
The beautiful and sweet memories of the glorious days. Man this video made me cry. Thank you for this amazing video and thank you God for allowing me to be alive to witness this era with such phenomenal players. Especially Messi.
The Hungary Golden Team from 1950 - 1956 went unbeaten for 4 years and only lost once in 6 years of international football is worthy of being mention. The midfield that consist of Gyula Lóránt, József Zakariás and József Bozsik are the original creators of "Total Football" that was later used effectively by the Dutch in the 1970s Barcelona and Spain 2010s teams.
@@mrconfused100 How is that relevant? They made the finals. Hungary is a tiny nation like Croatia. If they won the final they would be all time greats but because they didn't they're not? If this is how basic and simplistic your takes are then you should probably stop commenting because you don't have a clue about football.
In Germany we are still proud that we beat the Hungarian team in '54. They were the best and already beaten us during the tournament. Winning this world cup somehow partly built our nation too
Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets not only dominated the midfield of every game they played, they made you forget that the other team HAD any midfielders. Any game with them turned into 11 vs 8 immediately. Gonna miss them alot.
I agree. A lot of English football fans just couldn't (or wouldn't) acknowledge how good a DM Busquets was. The number of comments I heard like "what's the point of Busquets?" and "Busquets is invisible during games" for me, was a testament as to how good he was, especially just behind Xavi and Iniesta in their day. A phenomenal player, thanks for the memories, Sergio.
This is all about XAVI, He made Tikitaka he always controls the game like a conductor, he was also the besr passer ever. He teach Iniesta and Busquets how to play like him. XAVI is the most trophy winner in Barca the one who played the most games and the one who played for Barca for the longest time 17 years in first team and 25 years in Barca. He's the Godfather of Barca
To think that Spain not only had all 3 of these players in their midfield but also had Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas, David Silva, Thiago Alcantara and Juan Mata as rotating players is utterly ridiculous. No wonder they won 3 international tournaments back to back
Three of the greatest players ever, goosebumps just thinking about them. The anchors, masterminds and engines of what is probably the greatest team ever 🙌🏻 And thank you for another great video! You and Tifo deliver by far the best football content on this platform, always a pleasure seeing a new video uploaded!
Ik it’s a tad unconventional compared to your other vids but could you do a video looking back on the 2011-2012 season. It’s arguably a candidate for the title of craziest season ever. Here are just some of the insane events that happened said season (some of which you’ve already covered on your channel or at least mentioned). . Montpellier winning Ligue 1 with a young Giroud as their star striker. It was also the last season of Ligue 1 before PSG dominance started (Monaco and Lille did snatch 2 titles but the other 9 went to PSG turning Ligue 1 from one of the many chaotic leagues in terms of title races into an alleged farmers league). . Juve winning their first league title since Calciopoli as invincibles which led to them winning 9 in a row. . Bayern being somewhat close to a treble only to choke in the DFB final to Dortmund, losing the league to Dortmund too and losing the UCL final to Chelsea despite it being played at the Allianz and going 1-0 up at the 83rd minute. . This season was also the last time a team not named Bayern won the Bundesliga. This may change this season but who knows . Chelsea’s astounding UCL run despite finishing 6th . Real and Mourinho winning the famous La Liga de Los Records with Ozil getting 28 assists (still wasn’t Europe’s top assister in all comps somehow and only tied for first place in La Liga assists with a little magician we all know and love) and Ronaldo scoring 60 in all comps. . Atletico winning the Europa League with Falcao being arguably the best 9 on earth. . City winning the premier league in the last few seconds of the final match day on goal difference thanks to Aguerooooo scoring one of the most clutch goals in the history of the sport . Messi having probably the greatest season ever for an individual player. Ik Haaland is a freak of nature and 100% deserves the hype but 2012 Messi and Ronaldo were beyond unplayable. Messi had 73 goals and 32 assists in 54 games. He also scored 50 league goals which feels like some bs stat but the fact it happened makes you wonder what’s possible.
@@rasheed5507 *Thanks to you* we don't even need that video now, do we? 😂 You've painted the whole picture, except for United's 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal that Tinashe would of course be powerless to resist 🤬.
Man I'm going to miss seeing the classic "Busquets vs No Space" RUclips seasons' highlights comps. I've always said that of the three, Busi would prove the most difficult to replace because his skillset is a really niche mixture of top tier attributes, he has vision like Xavi, can pass like De Bruyne, wins the ball like Makelele, has a first touch like Ozil, can dribble like Iniesta, has close control like Messi, can make majority correct decisions at lightning speed and on his day he reads the game better than any other player (when to press, when to drop back, where to stand, where the ball should be) it's nigh on impossible to find someone else who can do all these things so well aside from Rodri I can't think of anyone else who comes even remotely close. El Clasicos won't be the same without a Busi double drag back or dropped shoulder to evade a pressing Madridista. Thanks Busi for sharing 15 years of art in the guise of football. Oh and sorry Tinashe for using your comments to pay tribute to Busi instead of using my own 😂
@@renevandelooij8470 He wasn't even close to being "way better" they were both WC players. The reason I put Iniesta above Xavi is because they were both very similar, but Iniesta was physically better than Xavi. This is why Iniesta was the one who pushed forward more often and didn't need to drop back as often to shake someone who was trying to tackle him. I have similar issues with people when it comes to Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf, Davids was the better player in this case because he could everything Seedorf did, but was physically better. As has been said tho, this is all down to opinion, but one thing that is certain is that in both cases, neither were "way better".
I refuse to believe that Guardiola, Busquets and Rodri arent 3 Spanish guys that got possessed by the ghost of an unknown defensively midfielding genius that picks a new target every generation. Theyre literally all re-gens of eachother
Video idea - Make a series of going through the ‘greatest teams’ that have ever played or maybe even partnerships such as Maldini and nesta or even the same principle but applied to strikers and other positions, perhaps comparing them?
yes id love to see a weekly/bi weekly series on the greatest teams and also like most underrated teams that won a trophy when no expected them or something
2015 Xavi leaves with a treble 2018 Iniesta leaves with a double 2023 Busquets leaves with a single It's like an indirect projection of Barca's steady decline over the years
that era's Spain midfield was downright illegal... imagine already having Busquest, Xavi, Iniesta... then having the options of bringing on David Silva, Juan Mata, Xabi Alonso, Fabregas, Carzola....
Then you had a David Villa, Puyol, Dani Alves and Alba and you have a stacked up team on every front. And on top of it you had on of the greatest players ever in Messi and daaaaaamn. Nightmare team
Me and my father called those 3 'The Bermuda Triangle'. Everytime they played, all opponents caught between them just dissapeared, never to touch the ball in any meaningful way
Like all the best midfields, it had a wonderful balance and cohesion, as did Modric, Kroos and Casemiro, for example. Similarly, Keane, Scholes, Beckham & Giggs, albeit a quartet. Not looking to cause an argument I don’t support any of these clubs, just appreciative of their respective qualities 😎
Another great video mate! Wondering if you might do a Bobby Firminio vid soon as he's just played his final ever Anfield game. As a Liverpool fan he's been my favourite player over the last few years of success we've had; his attitude and ability just gave me so much joy and he works harder for the team than any forward I've seen barring maybe Wazza
It’s crazy too cause you see em and normal people would be like “oh there just another football player” if only they knew how impactful and legendary they were. Very lucky to be able to see them play
UCL 2009 champs league final, my dad and me repeated messi, xavi, iniesta. That was barca's strategy in attack but in defensive 3rd, its busquets, xavi, iniesta. Its crazy. Their 4-3-3 feels more like a diamond rather than a 4-3-3
I agree that they formed the best midfield ever. This got even more incredible when you stop to think they also had Piquet, Puyol and Messi, all formed by the same club in a gap of time that allowed them to play together. It may never happen again, in any club...
As a Barca fan who got into them at the end of this era, my first game watching them was a perfect one: their 2015 UCL Final win against Juventus. Even though Xavi and Iniesta were older, the midfield trio were so good when I watched.
These men along with Messi made me fall in love with football ❤️ Ahh those Barca days, my own college days, tiki taka..... I'll remember those days for the rest of t life 🥲
Best midfield trio of all time is Xavi, Iniesta and Alonso. A world cup and back to back European cups. That's excluding their astonishing individual club honours. Modric-Kroos-Casemiro is a close second.
This trio was magic perfect blend of experience and young in midfield. Their game was magic and so good to watch. Too bad we couldn't see it for a long time . They say good things doesn't last very long. Honestly madrid trio of Modric Kroos casemiro was great in terms of efficiency but in terms of technical abilities and skills , Barca was miles ahead.I'm not say Xavi, Iniesta and busquets weren't efficient but they didn't last long like their counterparts. I never seen any team play football so elegantly like Barca did. It was indeed a magic to watch them play.
Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets are all midfielders. Usually it is the attackers (front 3) that gets the admirations. Xavi and Iniesta are not fast, not tall, and not physically dominating. Busquets is tall, not fast, and not physically dominating either. All three developed from Barcelona's system, not bought by money. Messi is not tall and not physically dominating. But these Barca footballers understood the game. Then Barcelona had their distinctive style. Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique are also part of the Barca system. It is about the game as a team. Not individual player dominating the game with physicality.
as a Real Madrid fan who loves football and doesn't spread hate i agree what this guys did for me they the greatest 3trio i ever seen much respect 🙌🙌🙌🐐
@Varad Ramakrishna there is football that's played outside of the classico too. Up until 2019 madrid's classico results were horrible. Your best trio ever couldn't defend the ucl. But guess what, the midfield that got spanked by rakitic did win it.
Whole may be greater than the sum of the parts, but my word, those parts. I'm taking Don Andres as the pick though. Just a thing of beauty to see him float through a crowded midfield. Best midfield ever, best team ever. The guy banging in the goals wasnt too bad neither
My ideal Barca team for PES or FIFA. If i had all these players i wouldn't need anyone else. Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen, Valdes Defenders: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Araujo Left fullbacks: Alba, Abidal, Balde Right fullbacks: Alves (i need another one but not sure who) Defensive midfielders: Busquets, Yaya Toure Center midfielders: Xavi, De Jong Attacking midfielders: Iniesta, Pedri, Gavi Left winger: Ronaldinho, Neymar, Fati Right winger: Messi, Pedro, Dembele Strikers: Suarez, Eto'o, Villa I could include more of them but this would be enough.
Like a lot of American football fans, I really came to admire the game watching RUclips videos, and the ones that always left me wanting more (live games) was Barca or watching live the great great Spanish side (Euro, WC, Euro champions). Even to novices, you could see that those guys were Him. Just like the past three years randomly dropping in on Manchester City the most novice observer could see that KDB was running (dominating?!!) the game and made everything else (goals) happen and was just beautiful. The video of Iniesta's retirement game at Barca (ending with him sitting on the pitch shoeless) made me tearful more than Messi's farewell from Barca. Sergio B was just a delight and his stature (6' 2") gave an aura that Barca would not be allowing any of Mourinho's Real Madrid intimidation tactics. That Xavi is now the manager of the BlueandRed and willing them to a La Liga title this earlier in his managerial career makes me smile. Thank you @Football Iconic for this video. 😄
Im not here to fight with anyone, im just here to remind yall of how Casemiro, Kroos and Modric were ALMOST at the same level as the greatest midfield in football being Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets
@@ammarharith5512 oh saying KCM better is recency bias? Why not saying Iniesta Xavi busi better is having nostalgia bias and you talk about cheating, Barca fans should be the last one to speak about it
@@justanotherguy1557 Nah, technically neither of KCM are even close to those 3. Busi, Xavi and Iniesta have the best ball control I've ever seen in football. They were artists.
Thank you so much for making this video. This provides a sense of closure to us true Barça fans. You can not imagine to what extent we were happy to see Xavi back as our coach. We will always love Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
A midfield so legendary, that for years here in Argentina there was the belief that Messi couldn't play as well for the national squad because of their absence.
I mean, it was the case haha.
@@daarom3472 lol
I mean that was true lol
@@beneyweneys yea, even though Messi was Argentina's best player people should not forget to rate the impact of McAllister, de Paul and Enzo. For the first time Messi had a stable team behind him (basically since scaloni joined) that allowed him to excel. Messi wouldnt have won without them, but also Argentina wouldn't have won without Messi.
@@daarom3472 yea it’s kinda like you need an actual good team to win🤦♂️🤦♂️
Most midfields could make a player dissapear in a storm, Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets could make an entire midfield dissapear
Yes the fall of Fc Barcelona then started from 2015 onwards with Bartomeu being unable to replace Xavi and later on Iniesta also. He only got mediocre bad mid-fielders bought that was nothing compared to Xavi and Iniesta. Bartomeu for some reason shut down LaMasia that I thought was stupid, because Barca gets easily great young players for no price at all from there and then he proceeds to buy for very expensive players that were never worthy of their price, but why didnt he be able to get new great mid-field, because thats what Fc Barcelona needed for succeding and thats why Fc Barcelona slowly buy surely started falling down and Messi could not carry the team on his own.
@@Jout8-re1ij well now Barcelona have a very good young midfield with lots of potential. You have Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Gavi, Marc Bernal, Marc Casado, Pablo Torre, Pau Prim.
2 posts in 2 days? What did we do to deserve this?
Busquets retiring
Rent is due
Love.
Ikr
@@leoraylor9245 😂😂
Worth noting that when Pep brought Busquets into the first team Yaya Touré was playing in that position. And he was crushing it. At the time people thought Pep was nuts to play a young, unknown Busquets instead of Yaya.
I agree. I remember that I hated that Busquets was played ahead of Toure when Toure seemed like a better player.
@@myrdin9216well he is. But in that system it’s different
@@blank1933Busquets is mile clear.
@@fotrj Easy to say so after fact. Not so much at the time. It was a ballsy move, to be sure
Honestly i was a bit upset when he sold yaya back then 😅
It’s crazy how dominant these guys were, and if you look at them, none of them scream world class athlete, but they were the engine behind the success of the Barcelona machine.
15 Km in a world cup finals after running all tournament seems a lot though...
Maybe they were not world class athletes, but world class football players...
@@majormononoke8958 I definitely think that they are world class athletes, but I was saying that they look fairly unremarkable at first glance.
@@majormononoke8958 What are you on about... Of course they are world class athletes you wouldn't be able to be that consistent in football without athleticism lmao... What the main comment is trying to say is, they may not look the part but they are a big factor to Barcelona and Messi's success.
@@majormononoke8958 Also to further add calling them not world class athletes but world class football players is daft because its almost the same thing.... When you call them a world class athlete or a world class football player its almost the same thing because the only difference is if you use the term athlete you're just using the generalized term used to describe people who are professional in a sport/s.
The work rate they had was unexpected given their stature, and you always wonder how the hell that 3 were able to do as well.
The crazier thing about these 3 was they all came from the same footballing school. They weren't fast or tall (Busi is tall i know), but good fkin luck trying to take the ball from em.
Xavi, will keep the ball forever.
Don Andres, will get it in absolute shite conditions and give it back to you on a golden plate.
And Busi, will orchestrate the team's movement from his position.
It's been a pleasure. The 3 of you + The GOAT Leo, Dani Alves and El Capita Puyol. They made me a Barça fan. And that made me a football fan. I grew up watching them toy around with world class players for almost two decades.
It's sad this will end, but boy I am glad to see it all. And with the internet, I'll always rewatch them. Because that team was frightening if you're not a fan, as a fan? The gigantic confidence I had during those days I tell ya.
Visca Barça!
Imagine that. Maybe the greatest midfield trio ever cost their team $0
@@FootballIconic i know dude. Especially these days where players price are 150 million each. It's mad.
It gets more bonkers when you know about half of that legendary team was home grown dude. It's unbelievable how great La Masia was. Generational talents and almost all of them from that era reached legendary statuses. Either in Barça itself or somewhere else (Fabregas, Luis Garcia, Thiago Motta, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro, Thiago Alcantara, Icardi, Mikel Arteta just to name some of them from that specific era)
Imagine that as well, having so much talent that ya can't even play them all in one team. Something like the Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard era for England in the 2000s.
Can ya blame me why I fell in strong deep love with this bloody club. It's overloaded with greatness. Almost fiction like when you read about it all the way back to it's humble beginnings.
Many many thanks to the Father of Modern Football himself Johan Cruyff for all of this.
Imma stop now before the tears gets too heavy ay. Cheers.
Visca Barca🎉🎉
@@FootballIconic without a doubt
Visca el Barça i Visca Catalunya !!
The fact that one of the last games Busi will play is against Iniesta's team in Japan with Xavi as his manager...... I'm not crying I'm SOBBING
What is this Busi name. Sounds childish and disrespectful to his name. There is no need to childishly overeact saying you are sobbing.
@@Jout8-re1ij he was always called Busi
@@Jout8-re1ij ppl not understanding sarcasm is kinda funny heh
The Barcelona team of 2011 was truly legendary. Literally none of the players were physical specimens, but they were so skilled and competent at passing the ball that pressing them was useless. Shows that at the end of the day, football ain't all about athleticism.
I always felt like Busquets never got his flowers bc he played next to Xavi and Iniesta. Often he gets overlooked and you won't see his name mentioned in talks of great mildfielders. As you said people lean towards more offensive/attacker heavy players, while Sergio was more defensive.
Also I think this video further shows just how great Pep is. Whom still gets disrespect from football fans. Pep noticed all these guys potential before anyone else and called it. He's a mastermind, master tactician, and elite at seeing talent and potential.
As a Barca fan these guys spoiled me on what a midfield should look like and how one should perform. When I watch teams that have crazy talent up front but struggle to score, I'm always like "I swear if this team gets a good midfield, they'll run this league." That is my usual comment on Angel City FC here in the States. The creative, playmaking work of midfielders is underappreciated bc viewers just see scores, not the setup for the score. This isnt hockey where every player who took part in a goal score setup gets credited for an assist.
I mean both Xavi and Iniesta had played over 100 times for Barca before Pep came along tbf mate.
@@tris421 Pep was their teammate before their coach....Did you not hear Pep's comments about them while they were teammates? You do know Pep was on the team as a player not just a coach? lol
@@tris421 and Barca still failed the last season before Pep joined regardless of xavi and iniesta. Also note that they were still pretty young and inexperienced. Pep carved the path for their talents to make progress.
@@danielgbeja1321 they also won the UCL the year before that? And the Euros with Spain that same summer (as Pep arrived)
Xavi literally played against United in 99.
Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets… all blessed with talent AND a good attitude, all as humble as ever and that’s why they achieved legendary careers. No egos, just humble geniuses that love the game. We will never see it again.
All the essential skills needed to run a team put and compacted in these 3 players. Sad to see Busi is leaving Barca but he is leaving huge huge shoes to fill. Definitely every Midfielder idolises Iniesta Xavi and Busquets. Players like them are a coach’s dream!
Couldn't of said it better my self. Thank you to all of them for the happy moments and the sad ones as well. Cheers
it depends really. For them to function well you need absolute world class forwards to take the ball in the final third and convert. They were "fortunate" to have had the company of Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry, Messi, Villa, Torres, Neymar and Suarez. You can see with the current Spanish team they have great passers and insane control but they lost to Morrocco because no one was able to finish chances. You also need an insane press from the entire team including all forwards because out of possession they can be left expoded (as was showcased by Bayern's 7-0 over them and the Netherlands beating them 5-1 in 2014).
They are definitely my favourite midfield of all time and all 3 would feature in my "best team of all time", but that would only work because of the other players I'd include.
If you have a bad front line I'd rather have City's current midfield as De Bruyne, Gundogan, Silva and even at times Rodri can all provide goals.
I love Bussy ❤️
@@daarom3472 thats facts as much as a love all 3 of em no one is taking into account the world class forwars they had neymar,messi,suarez,ronaldinho,samuel eto’o, thierry henry among the plenty of other world class finishers
@@daarom3472 Yeah that’s true as well
Spain won rhe world cup sub20 in 1999. Xavi dominated that tournament. He played in the role he would play years later, a bit more advanced than the 4. It was a masterclass.
Yes, because they defined their positions to the point that we reference them when we teach/analyse any midfield player according to their position or qualities.
These 3 are the best ever in their positions. No one else touches them.
declan rice come close to busquets tbf
@@darealkezz806 that’s blasphemy
Facts!
True
@@darealkezz806 it should be a crime to say something like this
I want more stuff like this on iconic midfield trios
Agreed. But include defense and attacking cores!
4:13 what a sight!! Iniesta with all his trophies!! 😂😊
As someone who is only 1.70m in height and was rarely selected for my team in the 70s because of that, I always enjoyed watching Xavi and Iniesta. And Maradona, And Messi. And Pirlo. They all made the tall guys look like parking-meters, and I just loved it.
Yesssss!!! This is the video I was waiting for
I will watch all ads .. won't skip any of them
Thanku so much❤
I just love to hear you talk about football players and legends of the game
I agree! He manages to sound enthusiastic and soothing at the same time. 😄🙌
The beautiful and sweet memories of the glorious days. Man this video made me cry. Thank you for this amazing video and thank you God for allowing me to be alive to witness this era with such phenomenal players. Especially Messi.
That pic at 0:15 is the max level of any midfield to grace this beautiful game
The Hungary Golden Team from 1950 - 1956 went unbeaten for 4 years and only lost once in 6 years of international football is worthy of being mention. The midfield that consist of Gyula Lóránt, József Zakariás and József Bozsik are the original creators of "Total Football" that was later used effectively by the Dutch in the 1970s Barcelona and Spain 2010s teams.
Did they win a World Cup tho 🤔
@@mrconfused100 How is that relevant? They made the finals. Hungary is a tiny nation like Croatia. If they won the final they would be all time greats but because they didn't they're not? If this is how basic and simplistic your takes are then you should probably stop commenting because you don't have a clue about football.
In Germany we are still proud that we beat the Hungarian team in '54.
They were the best and already beaten us during the tournament. Winning this world cup somehow partly built our nation too
Lost once and it was the most important game in their lives
Yeah and ca 200:50 goals in 50 games :) made a video of their best goals
This guy always uploads bangers
Thank you and please keep them coming ❤
Kroos Casemiro Modric are another trio but in terms of technique i think xavi iniesta busq was another level
What would Barça have been without Pep Guardiola. Pep clearly has an eye for talent. Such a great man!
Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets not only dominated the midfield of every game they played, they made you forget that the other team HAD any midfielders. Any game with them turned into 11 vs 8 immediately. Gonna miss them alot.
I love Xavi and Iniesta so much, but Busquets is genuinely one of a kind.
That man is the best DM I have ever seen, and I am sure will ever see.
I agree. A lot of English football fans just couldn't (or wouldn't) acknowledge how good a DM Busquets was. The number of comments I heard like "what's the point of Busquets?" and "Busquets is invisible during games" for me, was a testament as to how good he was, especially just behind Xavi and Iniesta in their day.
A phenomenal player, thanks for the memories, Sergio.
that trio never had a trophyless season… started their first season together with sextuple and won their last season with a treble.
So true
Most defently the best midfield ever they brought me alot of joy hopefully Pedri Gavi and maybe De jong bring me some more in the years to come
This is all about XAVI, He made Tikitaka he always controls the game like a conductor, he was also the besr passer ever. He teach Iniesta and Busquets how to play like him. XAVI is the most trophy winner in Barca the one who played the most games and the one who played for Barca for the longest time 17 years in first team and 25 years in Barca. He's the Godfather of Barca
my future kids will be hearing about this trio these were just amazing times
To think that Spain not only had all 3 of these players in their midfield but also had Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fàbregas, David Silva, Thiago Alcantara and Juan Mata as rotating players is utterly ridiculous. No wonder they won 3 international tournaments back to back
Jesus Navas and Santi Carzola also....... I'm pretty sure somewhere in there this kind of talent was criminal.
How can you forget Marcos Senna? He was integral to Spain's 2008 euro success.
2 videos in less than a week?
_Godsent._
Yeah, you’re on a roll now. I like this. With these numbers (number of videos in lesser days) you’re chasing the Balon d’or
Very good video, thanks for making it.
Three of the greatest players ever, goosebumps just thinking about them. The anchors, masterminds and engines of what is probably the greatest team ever 🙌🏻
And thank you for another great video! You and Tifo deliver by far the best football content on this platform, always a pleasure seeing a new video uploaded!
Very nice video my friend! Good job!
You are world class in what you do as well, my friend. God bless you.
2 uploads in the same week … I love it
Ik it’s a tad unconventional compared to your other vids but could you do a video looking back on the 2011-2012 season. It’s arguably a candidate for the title of craziest season ever. Here are just some of the insane events that happened said season (some of which you’ve already covered on your channel or at least mentioned).
. Montpellier winning Ligue 1 with a young Giroud as their star striker. It was also the last season of Ligue 1 before PSG dominance started (Monaco and Lille did snatch 2 titles but the other 9 went to PSG turning Ligue 1 from one of the many chaotic leagues in terms of title races into an alleged farmers league).
. Juve winning their first league title since Calciopoli as invincibles which led to them winning 9 in a row.
. Bayern being somewhat close to a treble only to choke in the DFB final to Dortmund, losing the league to Dortmund too and losing the UCL final to Chelsea despite it being played at the Allianz and going 1-0 up at the 83rd minute.
. This season was also the last time a team not named Bayern won the Bundesliga. This may change this season but who knows
. Chelsea’s astounding UCL run despite finishing 6th
. Real and Mourinho winning the famous La Liga de Los Records with Ozil getting 28 assists (still wasn’t Europe’s top assister in all comps somehow and only tied for first place in La Liga assists with a little magician we all know and love) and Ronaldo scoring 60 in all comps.
. Atletico winning the Europa League with Falcao being arguably the best 9 on earth.
. City winning the premier league in the last few seconds of the final match day on goal difference thanks to Aguerooooo scoring one of the most clutch goals in the history of the sport
. Messi having probably the greatest season ever for an individual player. Ik Haaland is a freak of nature and 100% deserves the hype but 2012 Messi and Ronaldo were beyond unplayable. Messi had 73 goals and 32 assists in 54 games. He also scored 50 league goals which feels like some bs stat but the fact it happened makes you wonder what’s possible.
This is a great suggestion dawg...exemplary👌
@@shakenblake4533 thanks man
11/12 and 18/19 are the most memorable seasons ever imo
@@rasheed5507
*Thanks to you* we don't even need that video now, do we? 😂 You've painted the whole picture, except for United's 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal that Tinashe would of course be powerless to resist 🤬.
Man I'm going to miss seeing the classic "Busquets vs No Space" RUclips seasons' highlights comps.
I've always said that of the three, Busi would prove the most difficult to replace because his skillset is a really niche mixture of top tier attributes, he has vision like Xavi, can pass like De Bruyne, wins the ball like Makelele, has a first touch like Ozil, can dribble like Iniesta, has close control like Messi, can make majority correct decisions at lightning speed and on his day he reads the game better than any other player (when to press, when to drop back, where to stand, where the ball should be) it's nigh on impossible to find someone else who can do all these things so well aside from Rodri I can't think of anyone else who comes even remotely close.
El Clasicos won't be the same without a Busi double drag back or dropped shoulder to evade a pressing Madridista. Thanks Busi for sharing 15 years of art in the guise of football. Oh and sorry Tinashe for using your comments to pay tribute to Busi instead of using my own 😂
thats wrong he didnt have the passing or vision of either xavi and de bruyne but he played his role perfectly
@@dagotowka9191 Look at all the assists he has given to Raphinha this season and also all the assists he gave to Messi in his last season
Imagine if these three and MSN were all on the same team and in their prime at the same time.
don't forget about prime Pique,Puyol,Dani
love your video essays. Keep up the great work. Subbed
Defo one of the GOAT's and the best Barca has ever had in midfield, imo. Iniesta!
Xavi was way better he was the true leader the motor and the Conductor
Xavi was quite a bit better imo.
@@renevandelooij8470 He wasn't even close to being "way better" they were both WC players.
The reason I put Iniesta above Xavi is because they were both very similar, but Iniesta was physically better than Xavi. This is why Iniesta was the one who pushed forward more often and didn't need to drop back as often to shake someone who was trying to tackle him.
I have similar issues with people when it comes to Edgar Davids and Clarence Seedorf, Davids was the better player in this case because he could everything Seedorf did, but was physically better.
As has been said tho, this is all down to opinion, but one thing that is certain is that in both cases, neither were "way better".
@@dagotowka9191 How dare you question my opinion! 😜
Nice content bro. Doing gr8.
I refuse to believe that Guardiola, Busquets and Rodri arent 3 Spanish guys that got possessed by the ghost of an unknown defensively midfielding genius that picks a new target every generation.
Theyre literally all re-gens of eachother
Iniesta and Pedri now. They play so similar it's actually insane lol
@@ebrahimmunsif Pedri is more like Xavi and Gavi is the one who plays dynamically like Iniesta but I am so certain that Lamasia just respawns legends
Video idea - Make a series of going through the ‘greatest teams’ that have ever played or maybe even partnerships such as Maldini and nesta or even the same principle but applied to strikers and other positions, perhaps comparing them?
yes id love to see a weekly/bi weekly series on the greatest teams and also like most underrated teams that won a trophy when no expected them or something
2 videos in a row that quickly ??? Madness also our boy looking strong love that
You are right. I think these are the best ever.
Keep up the good work mate!!!
2015 Xavi leaves with a treble
2018 Iniesta leaves with a double
2023 Busquets leaves with a single
It's like an indirect projection of Barca's steady decline over the years
Ofcource something like Pep's Barca or Jose treble winning Inter will decline unfortunately. That level of success is near impossible to maintain
sad 😢
Yeah but busquets we're playing with GOATS old pique,Maldini lenglet and Ronaldo Nazario braithwaite
the good thing is busquets single is on an upwards trajectory compared to post 2015
Busquets also won a double, Remember 3-1?
always a must watch when you make a video on my club
You and rawr need to do a video, both brilliant 👏
Best midfield and team ever. It was balanced in every aspect. The joy watching them
that era's Spain midfield was downright illegal... imagine already having Busquest, Xavi, Iniesta... then having the options of bringing on David Silva, Juan Mata, Xabi Alonso, Fabregas, Carzola....
Now this was a near perfect team,From the pique in the back to Messi infront.
Best team ever imo
Puyol and Dani Alves were huge
Then you had a David Villa, Puyol, Dani Alves and Alba and you have a stacked up team on every front. And on top of it you had on of the greatest players ever in Messi and daaaaaamn. Nightmare team
@@wokie.3204abidal played in LB not alba
Definitely not perfect. Defense and goalkeeper were mid.
Just a quick note. Together they won 2008 Euro (not Busquets), 2009 UCL, 2010 WC, 2011 UCL, 2012 Euro and 2015 UCL that’s INSANE
My take in all this is the high possibility of 300k subscribers during the course of the year for this channel
Me and my father called those 3 'The Bermuda Triangle'. Everytime they played, all opponents caught between them just dissapeared, never to touch the ball in any meaningful way
the E is not silent 😂
amazing that this is the only remark... the pronunciation on a foreign language
as always excellent video
Like all the best midfields, it had a wonderful balance and cohesion, as did Modric, Kroos and Casemiro, for example. Similarly, Keane, Scholes, Beckham & Giggs, albeit a quartet. Not looking to cause an argument I don’t support any of these clubs, just appreciative of their respective qualities 😎
A good point well made!
The MOST EPIC & ELEGANT
Not a Barca fan.....can even be considered an enemy but can't deny solid truth my guy.
what's legendary is Football Iconic posting two days in a row
Another great video mate! Wondering if you might do a Bobby Firminio vid soon as he's just played his final ever Anfield game.
As a Liverpool fan he's been my favourite player over the last few years of success we've had; his attitude and ability just gave me so much joy and he works harder for the team than any forward I've seen barring maybe Wazza
I think Milner is a great shout too
It’s crazy too cause you see em and normal people would be like “oh there just another football player” if only they knew how impactful and legendary they were. Very lucky to be able to see them play
UCL 2009 champs league final, my dad and me repeated messi, xavi, iniesta. That was barca's strategy in attack but in defensive 3rd, its busquets, xavi, iniesta. Its crazy. Their 4-3-3 feels more like a diamond rather than a 4-3-3
2 posts in 2 days keep up the grind mate, and also can we plsssss get a video about bales time with Madrid🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏it would be much appreciated.
I agree that they formed the best midfield ever. This got even more incredible when you stop to think they also had Piquet, Puyol and Messi, all formed by the same club in a gap of time that allowed them to play together.
It may never happen again, in any club...
GK Valdés was also playing at the same time. And a little later they retrieved Cesc from Arsenal.
As a Barca fan who got into them at the end of this era, my first game watching them was a perfect one: their 2015 UCL Final win against Juventus. Even though Xavi and Iniesta were older, the midfield trio were so good when I watched.
Love the vids
These men along with Messi made me fall in love with football ❤️
Ahh those Barca days, my own college days, tiki taka..... I'll remember those days for the rest of t life 🥲
Best midfield trio of all time is Xavi, Iniesta and Alonso. A world cup and back to back European cups. That's excluding their astonishing individual club honours. Modric-Kroos-Casemiro is a close second.
This trio was magic perfect blend of experience and young in midfield. Their game was magic and so good to watch. Too bad we couldn't see it for a long time . They say good things doesn't last very long. Honestly madrid trio of Modric Kroos casemiro was great in terms of efficiency but in terms of technical abilities and skills , Barca was miles ahead.I'm not say Xavi, Iniesta and busquets weren't efficient but they didn't last long like their counterparts. I never seen any team play football so elegantly like Barca did. It was indeed a magic to watch them play.
It’s very rare to find such a balance in a midfield. For me other than these three, was the trio of Gerrard with Alonso and Mascherano.
yikes no
Naaaah
Kaka, Seedorf and Guttuso!!
@@AbdulAkram04 wheres Pirlo mate?
That is a crazy statement (I’m a Liverpool fan) those three don’t come close
Xavi, Iniesta, and Busquets are all midfielders. Usually it is the attackers (front 3) that gets the admirations. Xavi and Iniesta are not fast, not tall, and not physically dominating. Busquets is tall, not fast, and not physically dominating either. All three developed from Barcelona's system, not bought by money. Messi is not tall and not physically dominating. But these Barca footballers understood the game. Then Barcelona had their distinctive style. Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique are also part of the Barca system. It is about the game as a team. Not individual player dominating the game with physicality.
Very touching 😢
as a Real Madrid fan who loves football and doesn't spread hate i agree what this guys did for me they the greatest 3trio i ever seen much respect 🙌🙌🙌🐐
Kroos-Casemiro-Modric is probably one of the closest trio to this.
Nahh....got spanked by Rakitic in midfield.....
Nope.
@@varadramakrishna bruh we all saw what happened in 2014 world cup against Netherlands
@@justanotherguy1557 yeah......they fall of from prime...who would have guessed....??
@Varad Ramakrishna there is football that's played outside of the classico too. Up until 2019 madrid's classico results were horrible. Your best trio ever couldn't defend the ucl. But guess what, the midfield that got spanked by rakitic did win it.
Whole may be greater than the sum of the parts, but my word, those parts. I'm taking Don Andres as the pick though. Just a thing of beauty to see him float through a crowded midfield.
Best midfield ever, best team ever.
The guy banging in the goals wasnt too bad neither
This video made me emotional
In 2010 world cup 7 players were from Barca : Puyol,Pique , Bousquet ,Xavi ,Iniesta ,Pedro ,Villa !
My ideal Barca team for PES or FIFA. If i had all these players i wouldn't need anyone else.
Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen, Valdes
Defenders: Puyol, Pique, Mascherano, Araujo
Left fullbacks: Alba, Abidal, Balde
Right fullbacks: Alves (i need another one but not sure who)
Defensive midfielders: Busquets, Yaya Toure
Center midfielders: Xavi, De Jong
Attacking midfielders: Iniesta, Pedri, Gavi
Left winger: Ronaldinho, Neymar, Fati
Right winger: Messi, Pedro, Dembele
Strikers: Suarez, Eto'o, Villa
I could include more of them but this would be enough.
In club AND country, I never realised that they probably are the best country side midfield trio too.
Xavi is getting underrated nowadays, the 🐐 cm for ones who know ball
but Pep tho haha
Xavi was easy the best of the 3 and for the tikki takka game even more important then messi
@@renevandelooij8470 literally
Those 3 were the spine of Pep's legendary Barca.
This Barca team and Ajax 1995- the 2 best club teams ever, by far. Simply untouchable teams😱
God, I love this game ❤
Like a lot of American football fans, I really came to admire the game watching RUclips videos, and the ones that always left me wanting more (live games) was Barca or watching live the great great Spanish side (Euro, WC, Euro champions). Even to novices, you could see that those guys were Him. Just like the past three years randomly dropping in on Manchester City the most novice observer could see that KDB was running (dominating?!!) the game and made everything else (goals) happen and was just beautiful. The video of Iniesta's retirement game at Barca (ending with him sitting on the pitch shoeless) made me tearful more than Messi's farewell from Barca. Sergio B was just a delight and his stature (6' 2") gave an aura that Barca would not be allowing any of Mourinho's Real Madrid intimidation tactics. That Xavi is now the manager of the BlueandRed and willing them to a La Liga title this earlier in his managerial career makes me smile. Thank you @Football Iconic for this video. 😄
Beautiful
Im not here to fight with anyone, im just here to remind yall of how Casemiro, Kroos and Modric were ALMOST at the same level as the greatest midfield in football being Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets
key word is almost
Recency bias, at best. Cheating & dirty play have ruined their "glory".
@@ammarharith5512 you talking about barca o real?
@@ammarharith5512 oh saying KCM better is recency bias? Why not saying Iniesta Xavi busi better is having nostalgia bias
and you talk about cheating, Barca fans should be the last one to speak about it
@@justanotherguy1557 Nah, technically neither of KCM are even close to those 3. Busi, Xavi and Iniesta have the best ball control I've ever seen in football. They were artists.
This is the greatest midfield ever. Period.
They dominated club and international football together
1 World Cup
1 Euro
3 UCL
5 Laliga and many more together
you know i still remember that 2014 barca squad when i think of barca with the greatest midfield and the greatest attack in my opinion.
Thank you so much for making this video. This provides a sense of closure to us true Barça fans. You can not imagine to what extent we were happy to see Xavi back as our coach. We will always love Xavi, Busquets and Iniesta.
Football intelligence and reactions beats physical dominance every time. That's why it's the beautiful game.
0:35 that broke my heart 😢 RIP Barça's golden era.
Your videos are quite impressive. An all round great quality content and presentation
Here is to hoping that pedri, gavi, or frenkie live up to even half of what these legends produced. VISCA EL BARÇA I VISCA CATALUNYA
I mean TBF they had prime Messi and that being was heavenly. Only now at 33+ is he actually playable.
Best midfield team ever. Name one that has one more together.
The greatest midfield trio of all time. There can be no debate.