In Spain, where the regional divide remains keenly felt, Andres Iniesta is a player who commands the same level of respect throughout the land.

It was his 116th-minute strike past Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg in Johannesburg four years ago that saw Spain win their first world championship.

All of Spain, whether it was Andalucia, Asturias, or the Basque or Catalonia region, which have long clamoured for independence, celebrated in a way politicians can only dream of.

Celebrating that winning goal in the 2010 final, Iniesta lifted his jersey to reveal the slogan “Dani Jarque siempre con nosotros” (Dani Jarque, always with us) on his vest in tribute to his friend and former Espanyol captain, who had died from a heart attack the previous year.

The act entrenched Iniesta’s place in the hearts of the Spanish people. For that, he was applauded even by rival fans during the subsequent Spanish league season.

In nine days, Spain begin their defence of the World Cup against the Netherlands, embarking on a quest to become the first country to win four major tournaments back to back.

With injuries taking a toll on his Barcelona colleague and midfield partner-in-crime Xavi Hernandez, Iniesta is expected to play an even more influential role in Brazil.

Yet, the 30-year-old does not look or behave like a lead character. If anything, he is the anti-hero.

Not the type to indulge in flashy dribbles, flicks or stepovers, Iniesta is not a regular goalscorer either.However, he is so crucial to Vicente del Bosque’s plans in Brazil because, like Xavi, he is a custodian of Spain’s “tiki-taka” style based on Barcelona’s“receive-pass-offer” philosophy of possession football.

Iniesta’s footballing intelligence stands out even in a squad brimming with tactically and technically accomplished players.

If Xavi, the passing metronome, is the master of killing off rivals with a thousand passes, Iniesta is the younger version by four years, with a similar uncanny ability to find space for that pass when there seems to be none. Getting the ball off him? Don’t even try.

His versatility also makes him invaluable, whether at the base of a midfield trio or wide on the left, where he is usually deployed for Spain and Barcelona.

In an interview with FourFourTwo,Iniesta revealed his six-pronged approach to dominating the midfield: What to do when receiving a pass and delivering one, thinking on one’s feet, drawing fouls, playing on the ground against bigger opponents and perfecting a long-range shot. But the best players, he added, “are the quickest thinkers”.

Yet, with his 1.70m, 63kg frame, receding hairline and pale skin — the Spanish press nicknames him El Caballero Palido, or the Pale Knight — as well as a fierce desire to keep a low profile, Iniesta is the polar opposite of the immaculately groomed Cristiano Ronaldo, whom fashion houses would fall over themselves to court.

Although now the face of Nike’s new Magista boots, Iniesta was once mistaken for a restaurant waiter, but still went to the kitchen to deliver a fellow customer’s order.

A deeply sentimental character, Iniesta, whose wife Anna Ortiz suffered a miscarriage earlier this year, revealed that Jarque’s death in 2009 had hit him badly. “I lost my personal stability and everything around me was turned on its head,” he said. “Terribly bad ideas went through my mind. Sometimes, I struggle to understand what goes on in the world.”

Born in Fuentealbilla, a town of about 2,000 people near Albacete in central Spain, Iniesta wanted to join Barcelona’s bitter enemies Real Madrid. However, his father Jose Antonio, a bricklayer, and mother Francisca Maria Lujan, a maid, felt the Spanish capital would not suit him.

Instead, he was spotted by then-Barcelona youth team coach Enrique Orizaola as a 12-year-old playing for Albacete Balompie. Orizaola convinced Iniesta’s parents to let him go to La Masia.

However, Iniesta’s career with the Catalans nearly did not take off due to acute homesickness. Jorge Troiteiro, his bunk-mate at Barcelona’s famed youth academy, recalled the early years when he had to comfort the future Spanish star, who cried when he missed his family.

“But the greatest thing for us,” said Troiteiro on TotalBarca.com, “was to see the Camp Nou from our window and we used to dream that, one day, we too would succeed there.”

Former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola first noticed Iniesta at the 1999 Nike Premier Cup, when his last-minute winner gave Barcelona’s under-15 side a 1-0 win over Argentina’s Rosario Central in the final at the Camp Nou.

Guardiola later told his team-mate Xavi, who took over his playing spot: “You will retire me, but this boy (Iniesta) will retire us all.”

Spain should qualify from Group B,which also includes Chile and Australia, but the second round could be pivotal, with a potential meeting with hosts Brazil, who beat them 3-0 in last year’s FIFA Confederations Cup final at Rio’s iconic Maracana.

With temperatures in Brazil set to reach 30 degrees Celsius and humidity levels at 80 per cent, Spain may struggle to become the first European nation to win the World Cup in Latin America.

Yet, Iniesta is calm. Speaking to Brazilian network UOL Esporte, he said: “Nothing is different and I don’t feel a bigger man because I scored the goal that won the title (four years ago).”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The writer is deputy sports editor at TODAY.

INIESTA FACT FILE:

Full name: Andres Iniesta Lujan

Born: May 11, 1984 in Fuentealbilla

Height: 1.70m

Position: Attacking midfielder

Teams: Barcelona (2001-present), Spain (2006-present)

Honours (selected): World Cup (2010), European Championship (2008, 2012), Spanish Primera Division (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013), Champions League (2006, 2009, 2011).