Luka Modrić

draconifire

NTC with a Positive attitude
This is a stupid question, but are Romania and Bulgaria Balkan? I thought Balkan was mostly the former Yugoslavia?

If Romania and Bulgaria count then those two are in contention too. I also forgot Savicevic, good shout.
Dated a Bulgarian once, and she used to say that they and Romanians are true Balkans culturally.
LOL
 

Masetro10

Member
If you look at the stats Modric at 39 was still one of the best chance creators in that team.

They already lost Kroos who was their tempo player.

Now they lose Modric who was one of their best creators for a decade.

They are left with a bunch of athletes with 0 passing skill. Outside of Guler and Ceballos maybe.

If Xabi cannot get his metronome type midfielder they might be even worse next season
 

draconifire

NTC with a Positive attitude
Maybe it is controversial opinion as a Barca fan. Iniesta is one of the greats of the game, but I think Modric is slightly ahead.

Xavi and Iniesta as a duo are unmatched.
The Duo is unmatched for sure.
But for me Iniesta comes ahead of Xavi. But I can see why the majority might go for Xavi ahead.
Splitting hairs basically.
 

MagIX

Senior Member
Learn something new every day. I am normally good on geography but for some reason I always associated 'Balkans' with just the former Yugoslavia.

Apologies for any offence caused as a Bulgarian guy.
I also associated the Balkans with the former Yugoslavia… my bad

Hagi, the Maradona of the Carpathians (whom i prefer over Stoichkov, despite the Ballon d'Or and the better career) — what a player, a genius on the pitch!
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
I also associated the Balkans with the former Yugoslavia… my bad

Hagi, the Maradona of the Carpathians (whom i prefer over Stoichkov, despite the Ballon d'Or and the better career) — what a player, a genius on the pitch!
Yeah I don't wanna upset windhook but I slightly prefer hagi to hristo too. I loved both as a kid though.
 

ToranagaSama

Active member
Maybe it is controversial opinion as a Barca fan. Iniesta is one of the greats of the game, but I think Modric is slightly ahead.

Xavi and Iniesta as a duo are unmatched.

That's actually an insane opinion for me, regardless of being a Barca fan or not. I don't ever remember fearing a Modric-Kroos midfield duo. Even when they were in their prime years while we had massively declined. Yet people talk like these 2 were just about Xavi and Iniesta level and it's just a matter of preference.

This is Barca during banter years with declined Busquets, Rakitic and Iniesta with Messi out injured against Modric, Kroos, Casemiro, Isco:


Wonderful midfielders but they got outplayed and outpossessed and outdominated many times only for some Voodoo shit to come to the rescue and gift them yet another CL trophy.

Completely incomparable to Xavi and Iniesta making every big team on the planet camp in their own halves and shit themselves and hope for a lucky counter in EVERY SINGLE GAME, club or international football. We dominated every game even when we lost, period. Madrid won many games even when they got dominated and outplayed.

Modric and Kroos are at the top of ordinary world class players but Xavi and Iniesta were a notch above that.
 

Maradona37

Well-known member
Yeah Modric as brilliant as he was wasn't as good as Iniesta for me either.

I have made the same point above about domination. Only caveat I add is that Real Madrid are naturally a less possession-dominant club than Barcelona in terms of ethos anyway. But I think you see a decline if Modric replaces Xavi in that Pep team.

Says more about how fantastic Iniesta was than any slagging of Modric, who is still a top 10 midfielder of all time imo.

The one who was vastly overrated though is Casemiro - an utterly undertalented shin-kicking fouling donkey, who should have been sent off and booked far more than he was. Some clueless inbreds talk like he was a level above far more talented players like Busquets and Rodri :lol: All he was was a hatchet man and bodyguard for Kroos and Modric.

He's currently being exposed at United, despite only being 32.

A player like him having 5 CL winners medals is embarrassing to the sport.
 
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Kul_z

Senior Member
As a croat, iniesta was better. Could say that xavi, iniesta modric sit on the same table, and always said is one of the most unfair things that happened in football that modric didnt sign for us, because he was a barca fan. Modric is an all time great mf, sits on that table but for me iniesta was... simply the greatest
 

Joan

Well-known member
Hate to split hairs when all three are pretty close in terms of their peaks, with different styles and personalities.

Lucky to have seen all of them play. My personal preference will always be Iniesta, but I won’t hold it against the rest of you for being wrong.
 

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