Xavi, the Spanish playmaker, broke an old record for the most attempted passes in a match, which was set by a Holland player Ronald Koeman during the 1992 European Championship. He attempted an astonishing 136 passes. The previous record stood at 117.
SPAIN POSSESSES some of the best midfielders in the
world such as Alonso, Iniesta, Fabregas, and Xavi. It would be very difficult to choose the best among these stars. They are great midfielders in their own ways, but when it comes to passes, there would be no better player than Xavi in world football at present.
This has just been proved right, as Xavi broke the
European Championship record for the most number of attempted passes in a match. The previous record stood at 117 attempted passes by a Dutch player, Ronald Koeman, in the 1992 edition of the championship, reported website goal. The long-standing record of 20 years was broken by Xavi, who attempted 136 passes and completed 127 of them when Spain played out an emphatic game to thrash the Irish team out of
Euro Cup 2012 on June 14. The statistic and feat also shows his passing ability as he only mis-passed 9 times during the match.
It may not sound to be a humongous record, but if we analyse it, it is like scoring a brace in a Euro cup final. Football is all about possession and keeping the ball on the feet. This is the way opponents defense can be broken and helps in scoring goals. There is no better team than Spain to exploit this style of passing game, which is very pleasing to the eye. The Spanish side attempted a total of 860 passes against Ireland yesterday.
Passing the ball is a skill, which Spain has mastered. You will never see the Spanish national team playing many aerial balls. If they do so, they might only do it while switching flanks, else the ball is always on the green carpet. Xavi has mastered the art of passing perfectly more often than not. His passes are meant to go where he desires to, right at the feet of the player. It is the same role that the midfielder plays while playing for his club, Barcelona. If we get to look at the passes chart of the Barcelona players he must be the best passer for the club, too.
