'He's my role model - both on and off the pitch'

Denis Suarez has played with some true legends of the game.

The Spanish midfielder first joined Barcelona in 2013, just months after Lionel Messi, David Villa and Xavi had starred in their club’s La Liga win.

 

Carles Puyol, Dani Alves and Cesc Fabregas were also in that side but, for Suarez, nobody had a greater influence on his career than Andres Iniesta.

 

“He’s a role model on and off the pitch – there’s no doubt about that,” Suarez told Arsenal Player. “He’s a magnificent player, one of the best midfielders in the history of world football.

 

“He has incredible vision and came to define an era at Barca. He coincided with one of the greatest Barcelona sides in history, the team that won the sextuple – they won everything there was to win. He’s an icon in Spain – he won the World Cup, scoring the winning goal in the World Cup final.

 

“He’s a simple guy away from the pitch and I think he’s an incredible person. He’s a role model for me on and off the pitch. I don’t think there’s any doubt that he’s one of the best players in history.

“When I came back to Barcelona from my loan spell at Villarreal, I was essentially competing with him for a place because we played in the same position. I tried to learn from him and take full advantage of the minutes I had on the pitch.”