In a recent viral video, Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez reflected on his illustrious career and named Zinedine Zidane as the only midfielder he considers better than himself.
The challenge from the presenters
was to speak up only when he heard the name of a player better than him. It started off easy, when the names of promising youngsters, who are nowhere near Xavi’s standing in the game, were called out.
Xavi stood silent as he heard the names of Arda Güler, Kobbie Mainoo, Gavi, Eduardo Camavinga, Pablo Barrios, Tijjani Reijnders, and Fermín López.
Moving on, the presenters brought up some players with a bit more legacy in the game. Federico Valverde, Martín Zubimendi, Enzo Fernández, Alexis Mac Allister, Jude Bellingham, Florian Wirtz, and Pedri were the names next read out. Understandably, Xavi still stayed silent.
The presenters then moved up a further tier to a list of players, mostly retired, who may have given Xavi more pause. Kevin De Bruyne is still active, but is a legendary figure. Still, Xavi stood quiet. Andrea Pirlo was brought up next, and Xavi seemed to consider it, but did not say a word.
Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Claude Makélélé were the next ones up, and still Xavi did not say a word.
It finally changed when Zidane’s name came up, as Xavi showed his respect for the French maestro’s skill, composure, and impact on the game by finally speaking up.
What do you think? Was Xavi better than all those players, but not Zidane? Or do you consider him the GOAT midfielder? And was Xavi better than his old mates Sergio Busquets or Andrés Iniesta? What about Luka Modrić?Michel Platini? Lothar Matthäus? Zico? Let us know in the comments.
