Iniesta has the world at his feet

The little wizard lifted Barcelona to a 3-2 victory over Real Madrid with his inimitable skills to which the 'Merengues' simply had no answer.

He was here, there and everywhere and when he went on those silky slaloms in crowded areas where he had no right to be anything could happen. And it did.

His all-round performance confirmed that he is football's greatest and most effective midfielder.

He is a bit of Xavi, Pirlo and Gerrard rolled into one.

After his achievements in 2012 it would come as no surprise if Iniesta, 28, is crowned world footballer of the year in December.

If the hype surrounding Messi and Ronaldo is put aside for a moment, can I even be audacious enough to suggest that Iniesta might just be the game's finest footballer at the moment?

Messi and Ronaldo are every manager's dream: their mastery of the ball is complete, they score bucketloads of goals and they have the capacity to win games on their own with flashes of sheer brilliance or freak improvisation.

Barca and Madrid would not be nearly as good without the breathtaking skills of the Argentine and Portuguese who have been regarded as the game's greatest exponents for at least four years.

Iniesta, who came through Barca's famous La Masia academy, is probably just as technically endowed as Messi and Ronaldo but would appear to lack their finishing ability.

Not that he can't or doesn't score goals but he does not do so in such a prolific way as the two do.

Yet he has one distinct advantage over them.

Whereas Messi and Ronaldo often have been found wanting for their respective national teams, Iniesta has been doing the business for club and country in equal measure since he made his international debut in 2006.

He is one of the key components of Barca's extravagant game and similarly he is a pillar of Spain's tiki taka system.

Iniesta, remember, played a key role in Spain's first major honour in 44 years at EURO 2008 and he was named in the team of the tournament.

It was Iniesta who gave the Spaniards their maiden world title with his late, late goal against Netherlands in Johannesburg in 2010.

And it was Iniesta who helped rip Italy apart in the EURO 2012 final in Kiev.

While Iniesta was replicating his club form in his country's colours, doubts were being cast over Messi's and Ronaldo's failure to 'do it' on the biggest stages.

Messi and Ronaldo were members of super squads to die for at club level but their standards invariably dropped when they were forced to perform with 'lesser' Argentina and Portugal.

There is strong evidence to suggest that these two national teams are not as technically endowed as star-studded Barca or Madrid.

In fairness, Iniesta's overall stature is boosted by the fact that he is in the company of virtually a Barca and Madrid selection whenever he turns up for Spain.

The unequivocal fact remains, however, that Messi and Ronaldo have yet to leave their mark on any major tournament.

They had a few minor successes along the way but none of Iniesta's consistent brilliance.

I'm not sure whether this is enough to tip the balance in Iniesta's favour but one thing is certain, he is just as important, influential and entertaining a footballer as the big two.

So when you tune in to SBS on Thursday (AEST) to watch the second leg of the Supercopa from Madrid's Bernabeu Stadium, try to resist the temptation to focus on Messi and Ronaldo and cast your eye on football's answer to Harry Potter and see what magic the little wizard can come up with next.