Lothar Matthaus has heaped praise on Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta.

The former Germany captain believes the Barcelona midfielder is the smartest footballer in the world who has been so crucial to all the the trophies his team's have won over the years.

"Andres Iniesta is the magic man, not just for Barcelona but also for Spain. He is their key," he wrote in The Sun.

"Every player in the team believes in Iniesta totally.

"He always knows what he has to do every time he gets on the ball. He is the smartest player in the world, simply a perfect player.

"People talk about Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo but you need an Iniesta to win the big titles."