“A while ago I came up with a theory known, by almost nobody, as the Baniesta principle. The basic idea is that if you were to take two footballers of similar skill levels but diverse development paths – for example, the World Cup winner Andrés Iniesta and the likable Scottish midfield ace Barry Bannan – and switch them at exactly the right age, inducting the 13-year‑old Bannan into La Masia while young Iniesta is forced to tough it out in the North Lanarkshire junior leagues, the end result would be a reversal of their future careers. By now Bannan would be globally revered as an A-list trophy magnet and all-round high spec skill gnome. Iniesta would occasionally do something good on Match of the Day, but otherwise find himself at the edge of things, a highly skilled footballer conditioned to explore only the inner limits of his talent by a youth spent in a culture of rush and hack.” Guardian