It is safe to say that Andres Iniesta is one of the best to ever step foot on a pitch and he enjoyed quite the career at Barcelona and for the Spain national team. During his time with the Catalan giants, he was a key part of their legendary rivalry with Real Madrid. Now at 38 years of age, he finds himself at Japanese side, Vissel Kobe, whom he joined in 2018.
While Iniesta might have stepped away from the spotlight in his mid-to-late 30s, one man who continues to be one of the best midfielders on the planet is Luka Modric.
For years, Modric was one of the most underrated players on the planet but has finally been getting the respect that he deserves in recent years. He is going strong even at 37 years of age, and is expected to continue at Real Madrid. The Croatian has made no secret of his ambition to continue playing for as long as he can.
Iniesta recognises the greatness of Modric. As reported by AS, he said regarding the Real Madrid midfielder:
"“We are players with different profiles but at the same time similar in terms of position on the field, conception of the game, handling the ball… He is one of the best midfielders there is and will ever be. He is a reference for his team and it is not easy to spend so many years at a club like Madrid making a difference.”"
Iniesta calls Real Madrid star one of the best ever
It is safe to say that Iniesta and Modric had very different careers. The Spaniard came through the Barcelona youth levels and soon found himself as part of one of the best teams ever assembled in the history of the game. He was already considered as a legend of the game before he was 30 years of age.
For Modric, it was much more of a grind. He started at Dinamo Zagreb and had an underrated spell at Tottenham Hotspur. When Real Madrid signed, it was not the kind of move that you would expect from Los Blancos, who had a reputation of making Galactico-style transfers. Yet, over the years, the Croatian has proven himself to be one of the best midfielders of all-time.
Who was better between Iniesta and Modric? There is really no point going into that debate, because there is no right answer. Both are simply two of the best to ever do it.