Xavi and Iniesta, footballing soulmates

[meretricula]

this is part of my interconnected series of this is why I ♥ Barcelona informational posts.

In some sense the downside to all the love in the Barcelona midfield (Pep, Xavi and Iniesta all play/ed there, as does Cesc Fabregas and for that matter Mikel Arteta), although in true Barcelona fashion this becomes just one more excuse to pile affection on each other, is this: the new generation is continually being stifled under the weight of the previous one. Xavi almost left Barcelona because he thought that with Pep on the team he would never get a fair chance to prove himself. Cesc did leave in large part because Andres joining the first team meant there would be no space for him for years and years. And the comparisons will never, never stop; Thiago Alcantara, the latest star midfielder out of Barcelona's academy, is being asked right now about his ability to replace Xavi in the team. I thought the following interview with Xavi and Andres (parts one and two are one-on-ones with Andres and Xavi respectively, and worth watching as well, if only to see Andres awkwardly playing drums with his musician friends as they sing for him and to meet Xavi's incredibly football-mad family) was really fascinating, but especially for the part where Xavi talks about how much it hurt him when he was just starting to hear all the negative comparisons to Pep in the press, and how much he hated that they were doing the exact same thing to Andres, only this time they were comparing Andres to him. He wasn't quiet about it, either; he tried his best to protect Andres and get the media shut up about it.

The initial assumption that Xavi and Iniesta would be in competition seems ridiculous now: their partnership in midfield is one of the defining features of the current incarnation of both Spain and Barcelona. Their ability to anticipate each other borders on creepy - or telepathic. Xavi described Andres as "the person who understands [him] best on the pitch," and when one of their former teammates was asked to comment on them for BBC Sport, he said, "They have a special relationship, they always have, they just seem to know where the other one is." So it's no big surprise that I've seen Xavi and Iniesta described by respected sports journalists as football soulmates. I mean, look at these incredibly awkward cuties:








everything looks innocent, until you look at where Xavi is putting his hand…












babies!




perfectly in sync. :')

They even share their shirt numbers - Xavi is 6 for Barcelona and 8 for Spain, and vice versa for Andres.



some fic recs (originally commissioned by angualupin)

Six Steps to Becoming Something, Part I and Part II, by storyofameadow: Six games that changed the course of Andres and Xavi's relationship. Written entirely in lowercase, which makes me want to set things on fire, and the prose is a bit purple, but it's otherwise very lovely. (And far more sexually explicit than you usually see with these two!)

Elevation, by stickmarionette: After the Chelsea match. You know which one.

And I saw sparks, by el_defe: Winning the league in 2005. Some of the phrasing is a little awkward (the author is not a native English speaker) but it's a very sweet little first-kiss snippet.

untitled drabble, by stickmarionette: Leo on the outside of the Xavi-and-Iniesta show, looking in.

Abort, Retry, Fail, by acchikocchi: Okay, Xavi and Andres are not a major part of this fic (it's mostly about Villa failing to recognize that he has human emotions and also it's a software programmers AU), but there's this one scene where they haul Andres over because he's the only one who can translate Xavi's technobabble into real person talk and augh, FEELINGS, FEELINGS EVERYWHERE.

[petit prince], by greenpixiehair: This is mostly about Andres' relationship with Leo - he and Xavi coincide for about a sentence - but it's lovely and sad and both Xavi and Andres are (individually) perfect in it. (Pastiche of Le Petit Prince, in case that's not obvious.)

(if you tolerate this then) your children will be next, by stickmarionette: Batfamily AU! Xavi as Dick Grayson and Andres as Tim Drake works creepily well.

The Catalan Opening, by spdfg: Imaginative and hilarious cop AU, mainly about Pique and Puyol but also featuring Xavi as a cranky prosecutor and Andres as his assistant.


other media

Xavi and Iniesta; A Soundtrack: Sometimes Xavi and Andres inspire people who've never heard of fanfic to write fanfic. Songfic, even. I love it.

Lizstomania: BarçaTV made this as a promotional video last year when Andres, Xavi and Leo were all in the final three for the Ballon d'Or. More importantly, it is an awesome vid that highlights their fabulous interplay on the pitch. (Bonus promo vid here which is not really a masterpiece of film editing but is nevertheless super cute!)

Comments

[the-beanster.livejournal.com]

Omg, thank you for this! This is awesome.

[meretricula.livejournal.com]

thank angualupin! all the new content is for her fandom-helps bid; the rest was just pulled out of the main post. but I'm glad you enjoyed!

[the-beanster.livejournal.com]

Lol, I just never realized that you updated it (I think? I don't remember seeing some of the pics), so this is awesome.

[meretricula.livejournal.com]

haha, no, I did update a lot of it but I did it for angualupin, that's all. good opportunity for me to put in a few new quotes and pictures, etc.

[angualupin.livejournal.com]

Thank you so very much for this. I know I gave you a hard fill and what you delivered is really wonderful. :) My adorable little midfield geniuses.

[the-beanster.livejournal.com]

For all kinds of selfish reasons, thank you :)

[meretricula.livejournal.com]

thank you for bidding on me! I was really excited to be able to contribute even a little bit to the auction. and I did have fun coming up with recs! :)