Helping Hands: The top 5 footballing influences on Leo Messi’s glittering yet unfulfilled career

2) Xavi and Iniesta

Xavi and Iniesta have been the perfect supporting cast for Leo.

Barcelona’s wonder years have been going on for a while now. The ball was set rolling under Frank Rijkaard, the greatest contribution made under Pep Guardiola and Tito Vilanova and is currently being ably followed by the ever increasing trophy count under Luis Enrique. Focal to all Barcelona success in recent times are three diminutive and extremely talented footballers. While Messi always remained the centre point of the team, larger than life in attack, he was ably assisted by two midfield generals or should I say magicians.

Xavi Hernandez and Andrea “Happy Feet” Iniesta are two names that can and should stand alone on any given day as long as the topic is anything football related but such has been their combined contribution to Messi’s career that it is worth clubbing these two into a single entity. It has been suggested time and again that Messi would not have been Messi if he didn’t have a Xavi and an Iniesta playing behind him and creating chances. While this is not true by any stretch of the imagination, the contribution of these two pioneers of Tiki Taka football to Messi’s career and success is absolutely unquestionable.