Real Madrid legend Luka Modrić just revealed how much he admires Andrés Iniesta in a recent interview.
Modrić, while doing an interview for Italian media, was asked about the most difficult player he has faced during his career. The first player he mentioned was Iniesta, saying how he always had good battles with him and how he enjoyed the competition that the duo provided.
Iniesta and Modrić were in the same league for six years - from 2012 to 2018.
During peak El Clásico years, as people called them, Iniesta and Modrić were both at the heart of everything. Even in Modrić's first year, he was a very important cog in Real Madrid's midfield. In the seasons that followed, when Real Madrid dominated the Champions League, Modrić was a crucial piece of the puzzle.
If you look at his game and watch him play, it is obvious that Iniesta was admired by Modrić because there are some similarities in the way the two played football.
Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta are two of the five greatest midfielders in history at least
Iniesta was a magician with the ball. His passing was really good, and his dribbling skills were some of the best in football history.
Modrić is pretty similar in that sense. The way he carried himself with and without the ball, and the confidence with which he played, were at a very similar level to Iniesta.
Obviously, Iniesta's peak started earlier, while Modrić's peak finished a bit later. But it was clear that both of these players were magicians with the ball and worked hard without it.
If you ask any midfielder from this generation or the last, most of them would probably say the same thing Modrić said about Iniesta. In fact, it would probably be the same thing from Iniesta about Modrić as well, because these are two of the greatest midfielders in the history of football.
People love to argue about which one was better. But at the end of the day, both of them had different strengths alongside the similarities in their games.
Modrić's defensive coverage and his IQ to play in any position on the right side of midfield were unheard of. Similarly, Iniesta's control, the way he kept the ball, and the way he passed it around were also brilliant.
Obviously, everyone has a preference at the end of the day. But the fact of the matter is that both of these players would have looked at each other with the same level of respect.
History will be kind to the level that these players showed over the course of their careers. We may never see players like Iniesta and Modrić again, so it is really important that everyone respects and appreciates their achievements as much as they deserve.
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