Who Was Better: Xavi or Iniesta?
One of the most debated topics in football has been the ‘Xavi or Iniesta?’ one, and it’s easy to see why. Xavi and Iniesta are two of Spain’s greatest ever players who played in the same coveted Barcelona side, and they are incredibly hard to compare.
It’s hard to mention one of these players without speaking about the other. They were inseparable at both club and international level for two decades and pushed each other to greatness.
In this article, we’re going to discuss each player’s playing style, as well as conducting a head-to-head comparison of the two in terms of appearances, goals, assists and bookings. Read on to find out more.
Table of Contents
Who Was Better, Xavi or Iniesta?
Xavi scored more goals and produced more assists during his career, however, Iniesta has won 9 more trophies than Xavi and is yet to receive a red card. Both players have a fluidity to their play that few can match, and they will go down in history as two of the best midfielders of all time.
Xavi’s Playing Style
When assessing Xavi’s playing style, some of the main traits that come to mind are exceptional vision, intelligence and technical ability on the ball. These characteristics are what made Xavi a key component of Barcelona’s “tiki-taka” style of play, as well as being regarding as one of the best midfielders of his generation.
Vision
Because Xavi’s vision was elite level, he was brilliant at picking out passes. His creativity, particularly in the progression phase of play, helped Barcelona control possession for long spells during matches.
Intelligence
Another aspect of Xavi’s playing style was his intelligence on the pitch. He had an incredible ability to read the game and knew how to dictate the tempo in matches for both Barcelona and Spain.
Technical Ability
Xavi’s technical skills are another characteristic that made him so special. His passing accuracy and elite level ball control helped Barcelona and Spain control the flow of matches, keeping possession for a long time.
Iniesta’s Playing Style
When Iniesta graduated from Barcelona’s coveted academy La Masia, he was considered a defensive midfielder, however this soon changed. It was clear that the Spaniard had a skill set that was way more suited to being an attacking midfielder.
Iniesta’s agility, skill, composure, flair, ball control and balance meant that he was unbelievably good at getting out of tight spaces. These traits earned him a call-up to the Barcelona first-team at the age of 18. Manager at the time Vicente del Bosque described him as a “complete midfielder”.
His all round skill set meant he had elite technique, passing range, vision and movement, with an immense ability to read the game, similar to his counterpart Xavi. Iniesta is regarded as one of the most skilful dribblers of all time.
La Croqueta
It was common to see the ball glued to Iniesta’s feet. He took Michael Laudrup’s La Croqueta skill move and made it his own.
The Complete Midfielder
Iniesta played in a range of positions under different managers during his career, and succeeded in all of them. He played as a deep midfielder, central midfielder, false winger and as a number 10. Because of this, his role has been compared to a “Mezzala” which is an offensive box-to-box midfielder.
Head-to-Head Comparison: Xavi and Iniesta
We’re now going to compare both Xavi and Iniesta on the following metrics – appearances, goals, assists, red cards and yellows cards. All football data collection was done by TransferMarkt.
Appearances
| Xavi Appearances | Iniesta Appearances | |
| Club | 925 | 851 |
| International | 133 | 131 |
| Total | 1058 | 982 |
As of February 2023, Iniesta is still playing football in the Japanese J-League for Vissel Kobe, so his stats will change moving forward. As it stands, Xavi has played 76 more matches than Iniesta when we add together both their club and international appearances.
Goals
| Xavi Goals | Iniesta Goals | |
| Club | 111 | 88 |
| International | 12 | 14 |
| Total | 123 | 102 |
Who scored more goals: Xavi or Iniesta? When looking at goals, Xavi has scored 21 more than Iniesta. Iniesta scored slightly more at international level, but Xavi scored more at club level. This is a statistic that might surprise a few people, as it might be assumed that Iniesta would have scored more goals than Xavi.
Assists
| Xavi Assists | Iniesta Assists | |
| Club | 212 | 162 |
| International | 25 | 30 |
| Total | 237 | 192 |
Assists are arguably the main metric discussed when discussing Xavi or Iniesta, due to the fact that both players played as creative number 8’s for the majority of their careers.
At club level, Xavi’s had 212 assists, compared with Iniesta’s 162. For Spain, Xavi recorded 25 assists, meanwhile Iniesta recorded 30. This means that Xavi was better for assists at club level and Iniesta was better at international level.
In total, Xavi comes out on top with 237 assists compared with Iniesta’s 192 assists, a difference of 45.
Red Cards
| Xavi Red Cards | Iniesta Red Cards | |
| Club | 3 | 0 |
| International | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 |
Both Xavi and Iniesta were disciplined players when it comes to red cards. Iniesta has the impressive statistic of never having received a red card on the pitch, whereas Xavi has had 3.
All of Xavi’s red cards were second yellow card offences, though. This means that he never received a straight red card during his career.
Yellow Cards
| Xavi Yellow Cards | Iniesta Yellow Cards | |
| Club | 68 | 73 |
| International | 7 | 5 |
| Total | 75 | 78 |
Remarkably, both Xavi and Iniesta have had a similar amount of yellow cards during their careers. With just 3 yellow cards separating them, Iniesta comes out on top with 78 in comparison to Xavi’s 75.
How Many Trophies Did Xavi and Iniesta Win?
As of December 2022, Iniesta wins the battle when it comes to the number of trophies won. Iniesta has won 42 trophies during his career, whereas Xavi only won 33 trophies. The main reason for this is the age difference between the two players.
Iniesta is 4 years younger than Xavi, which meant that he was able to win 7 more trophies at Barcelona during the 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons. In 2015, Xavi moved to Qatari club Al Sadd, which meant he missed out on several Spanish cups, two La Liga titles, a UEFA Supercup and a Spanish Supercup.
Conclusion
Xavi and Iniesta are two of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game, and played in the same club and national side for many years. Comparing the two of them is a near impossible task, as they share lots of similar traits and statistics. It’s a subjective debate that has been discussed by football enthusiasts for many years.
When comparing goals and assists, Xavi wins the debate, however he has received more red cards than Iniesta. Iniesta has won 9 trophies more than him, too, and he has been able to win them in 76 fewer matches compared to Xavi.
When discussing who was better: Xavi or Iniesta, it has to come down to personal preference as the two players are so similar. For us at The Elastico, we can’t make our minds up. We believe these two greats equally deserve their place in history together!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Did Xavi and Iniesta Switch Numbers for Spain?
During their time together in youth teams, both Xavi and Iniesta wanted to wear the number 8 shirt. Because of this, the two players made an agreement with each other that Iniesta would wear number 8 at club level and Xavi would wear number 8 during international matches.
Learn how footballers choose their numbers.Who Has More Assists, Xavi or Iniesta?
As of February 2023, Xavi has recorded 45 more assists than Iniesta during his career. Xavi has 237 to his name, meanwhile Iniesta has 192.
What’s the Difference Between Xavi and Iniesta?
One of the main differences between Xavi and Iniesta is their dribbling ability. It’s safe to say that Iniesta has been deemed to be the better dribbler out of the two, with incredible fluidity and flair when he carries the ball. Although Xavi might not be able to match him in this department, he certainly makes up for it elsewhere in other parts of his game.
Was Xavi the Greatest Midfielder of All Time?
Xavi is arguably the greatest midfielder of all time. He dominated the game for 15–20 years in one of the best sides of all time while playing for Barcelona. In an interview, Xavi claimed that Paul Scholes was one of the most complete players he had witnessed, but it’s safe to say that Xavi was the better player.
Are Xavi and Iniesta Best Friends?
Yes, the two Spanish midfielders are great friends. They had a special relationship on the pitch for two decades that is unmatched, and this reflected their relationship off of the pitch. Their friendship and partnership has been crucial to the success of both Barcelona and the Spanish national team.
