La Liga: 10 Players Who Played the Game Most Beautifully in Recent History

Entertainment and high technical quality in football do not always go hand in hand. The English Premier League can rightfully boast at being at the head of the entertainment queue, which, of course, raises the global audience.

But the Spanish La Liga has, arguably, the greater number of technically proficient players. The quality has shone through in recent years, gifting the nation its most successful period on the international stage.

Despite Spain's struggles to at times break down opponents during the World Cup, they played what they believed to be football the way it should be played. For this, much of the players deemed to play the game most beautifully belong to the elite of Spanish football: Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The subject, however, will undoubtedly raise questions as to what we deem to be "beautiful" football. Should players like Carles Puyol be pigeon-holed with creative, attack-minded players such as Ronaldinho? Their duties and ability to carry them out on the pitch might contrast heavily, but it's the manner in which they perform that is deemed aesthetically pleasing.

Xavi Hernandez

Xavi Hernandez may go into the record books as the most important player in Spain's history. The engine room of Barcelona and the national side has really come to the fore of world football's elite under the management of Pep Guardiola.

Xavi is the finest passer of the ball in the modern game and someone who has been instrumental in Spain's revival on the international stage. It would be completely unjust to talk about Lionel Messi and Barcelona without mentioning Xavi in the same breathe.

Xabi Alonso

Xabi Alonso, like Xavi Hernandez for Barcelona, pulls the strings in the current Real Madrid side. He formed a successful and effective partnership with Steven Gerrard during Liverpool's title challenge in 2008/09 and now, at the age of 30, plays one of the key roles in Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. Acting as both an anchor in midfield and one of the primary playmakers, his presence in the side is almost irreplaceable.

Zinedine Zidane

The quality Zinedine Zidane brought to European leagues is almost unrivalled. Still unmatched as France's most spectacular export in recent years, Zidane supplemented the already impressive Galacticos of the first Florentino Perez reign as Real Madrid president.

Fernando Redondo

Fernando Redondo was a player of sublime elegance who had the ability to make the game seem effortless. He was almost deceptive in his play, tricking opponents into thinking he was nothing more than a sluggish,deep-lying midfielder before advancing through the opposition defence.

One of the finest midfielders to perform in Europe.

Andres Iniesta

Andres Iniesta has been at the heart of some of the most spectacular team performances in recent memory alongside Xavi Hernandez. The 2009 Champions League final against Manchester United should go down as one of the modern master classes of European football. The United forwards struggled to trouble the Barcelona defence due to the quality in the middle of the park.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho is a phenomenon. Despite the high esteem we place on players who arrived in Spain a little earlier than him, he is unmatched for the kind of impact he made with the style he brought to Europe.

Carles Puyol

While Carles Puyol's current centre-back partner Gerard Pique may represent a more complete footballer, one who is more comfortable with the ball at his feet and more cunning in front of goal, Puyol represents the harder, more efficient side of Barcelona's five-star football.

Puyol is an outstanding centre-back whose calmness and leadership at the back have been an integral part of Barcelona's recent success.

Rivaldo

Rivaldo's time at Barcelona and during the height of his powers can be defined by one glorious moment of individual brilliance: his volley against Valencia.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo has managed to enhance his game during his time at Real Madrid. To complement his impressive goal-scoring record, not only in Spain but in England, too, is his outstanding ability to provide for others.

His goal against Portsmouth while playing for Manchester United might be one of his most impressive in England: a perfectly executed free-kick sailing over the wall, then subsequently dipping into the net.

But his assist for Karim Benzema in a match against Getafe earlier this season is a highlight of a phenomenal player's diversity.

Lionel Messi

It's hard to imagine another player coming onto the scene in European football who can match what Lionel Messi has achieved and in the manner in which he has done so.

One of Messi's most impressive pieces of individual brilliance came in a recent Champions League game against Viktoria Plzen. Unfortunately, the memory will be short lived, as Messi was unable to convert his chance.