Senna, in a recent interview, paid great homage to Santi Cazorla, putting him ahead of some of the best footballers in the world. Senna may be a little biased, as he plays with Cazorla for both club and country, but it is high praise nonetheless:
Senna...picked out an unusual choice for his favourite player in the game at the moment.
"For me Messi is just above Kaká because he has been injured and has lost his rhythm," he began. "But the player I really love is Santi Cazorla. I am with him every day and I see how he trains and he is truly great.
"He cannot be said to be the best because he plays for Villarreal, but if he played for Madrid or Barça then things would be different."
I especially like how he says, "He cannot be said to be the best because he plays for Villarreal..." Villarreal will probably never get the respect of a Barcelona or Madrid - but, at the same time, Villarreal will probably never have to deal with the same media criticism and pressure to perform that the bigger clubs do either, allowing Villarreal to be its own club. (And, for that matter, as Villarreal fans we will never have to be associated with the obnoxious bandwagon fans, who, on websites like this and in forums, tend to talk out of their arses at every opportunity.) There are good things about being a small club! ;)