Did this happen? I never remember him on the wing ?
So where is Modric rated in best CM’s of all time ?
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That's because he didn't.
Played a lot on the left wing when he first went to Spurs
There’s no recency bias he’s literally won the Ballon d’or as a CM, he’s better than all the players you named no contest.
Incredible. Up there with Xavi.
Let’s be honest and clear...he is better than Scholes.
FIFA World Player of The Year as well.
Brilliant player better than Xavi for me.
Brilliant player better than Xavi for me.
Whether a given players wins the Ballon D'Or is often a fluke of circumstances and timing. Of all the arguments to make in Modric's favour I wouldn't place much weight in him winning a given individual award when others didn't.
He played in the beginning of his career as a LM/left winger at Dinamo. Don't remember Spurs time.
Anyway back then in 2006 at Dinamo it was obvious he's gonna be special even then.
Top 5 of all time certainly imo.
Xavi isn’t a level above at all, they’re all on the same level, how do you get a level above a B’allon dor 4 time Cl winning maestro who is still great at 36? I saw Modric take on the Spain team by himself basically in his prime and never looked out of place once, he has qualities that even Xavi doesn’t.
That pass to Benzema! Pure genius.
Iniesta wasn’t the same sort of player and shouldn’t be in the comparison.
Xavi and Modric are more the Regista, the link player, dictating forward play from the central area, as well setting up incisive attacks.
Both are/have been great players in that role and a joy to watch.
p.s. That was some game tonight !
Xavi and Modric are more the Regista, the link player, dictating forward play from the central area, as well setting up incisive attacks.
Both are/have been great players in that role and a joy to watch.
p.s. That was some game tonight !
Right up there with Laudrup, Nedved, Scholes, Deco, Iniesta, Pirlo; not as good as Platini, Zidane, or Xavi.
He played in the heart of central midfield for Spurs and was incredible.
Thank Christ he never made it to Chelsea, an absolute legend of the game
https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/12/...ttenham-boss-redknapp-for-career-definin/?amp
Even Modric talks about it. He’d often play as a LW or 10.
The others never even came close though, whether or not Modric deserved to win it that year he certainly deserved to be top 3, maybe only Ballack and at a stretch Keane Lampard have come close to that standard out of those names listed.
What?!? You wouldn’t give any weight to winning the Ballon D’Or..
You would only read that on a United forum. He is clear of Scholes which is no way insulting or underrating Paul
Different competition and time. It's the equivalent of saying Michael Owen is better than Henry and Benzema because he's got a Ballon D'or.
Not true as the best players of the year wins it. Levandowski deserved it last year but even then it wasn’t a fluke Messi won it
Lets offer RM Donny in a swap, they were quite keen on him a couple of years ago.
Michael Owen was the best that year though. Ballon D’or isn’t the only reason Modric is considered one of the best.
It’s still a pretty big accomplishment, basically saying your the best player in the world at that given time, for a midfielder that is pretty huge.
I wouldn’t put Iniesta in the lists next to Xavi & Modrić, he was more comparable to someone like Zidane or Rivelino.
As far as creative central midfielders go Modrić is probably as good as anyone, Xavi aside. Better than Pirlo, Scholes, Kroos and the rest of his more or less contemporaries. Somewhere alongside Luis Suarez, Didi & Jozsef Bozsik.
If we’re talking about central midfielders in general, I’d take Xavi, Matthäus & Rijkaard ahead of him. The rest are arguable.
Magical player.
As far as creative central midfielders go Modrić is probably as good as anyone, Xavi aside. Better than Pirlo, Scholes, Kroos and the rest of his more or less contemporaries. Somewhere alongside Luis Suarez, Didi & Jozsef Bozsik.
If we’re talking about central midfielders in general, I’d take Xavi, Matthäus & Rijkaard ahead of him. The rest are arguable.
Magical player.
Not really, Henry was pretty close himself it’s just to say he attains a higher level than any of those other players where he could genuinely be considered for an award that normally goes to attacking players almost predominantly.
Spot on as always.
Great midfielder but pocketed by Joao Moutinho every time 
His longevity at the highest level is very impressive.
His longevity at the highest level is very impressive.
Because Xavi spearheaded arguably the greatest club side and national team ever.
Once he waned, Spain declined significantly and so did Barcelona before MSN came to fruition.
And Xavi has qualities that Modric doesn't either. And I wouldn't cite 1 Ballon D'Or in Modric's favor as proof that they're on a similar level, when Xavi has more individual accomplishments either way.
That said, his longevity is extremely impressive and he's definitely up there with plenty of midfielders throughout history.
Not overly. There are plenty of players who won the Ballon d'Or who patently aren't as good as other players in their position who didn't, they just benefitted from the timing of their most award-friendly seasons. Which makes it a pretty poor measure for comparing players from different times.
One of my favourite players to watch when he was in his prime. Fantastic. At his best he's the perfect midfield playmaker.
Xavi >>> Iniesta / Modric > the rest
Excellent post.
Just looking at pure CM's, 2nd behind Xavi seems about right.
Xavi was something else at his peak. Which is no slight on Modric, amazing player and an amazing career.
Xavi was something else at his peak. Which is no slight on Modric, amazing player and an amazing career.
The best player of the year might win it but that doesn't mean the standard across each year is the same. A player could win it in one year with a standard of performances that would have seen him come third in other years. But that doesn't make him any better or worse a player.
And even then, whether the player who wins it is actually the best player is still a subjective opinion.
I would say Messi spearheaded it, I think Barcelona was the perfect storm and Xavi I was a main component most certainly but they don’t win as much as they do without having the greatest player of all time.
We saw Barcelona still went onto win the treble with MSN at the forefront as you say.
Ronaldo was likewise key in Modric winning 4CL but I would say in many of the big games Modric Di Maria took turns in actually being the most important players in those ties, games against Atletico where Ronaldo was quiet for most of the game it was Modric and Di Maria that really took hold of the game and pushed the team forward, Xavi rarely had to do this with Barcelona because Messi was so supernatural he would not only be the finisher but the playmaker and the ball carrier all at the same time.
In terms of international honours I think Modric taking a Croatia side to th World Cup final is almost as big of a deal as any of the international honours that Xavi win with a side that contained Iniesta Villa Ramos Pique Busquets Alba Torres Silva Fabregas all at their very prime, Modric of course never had the privilege of being born Spanish, but I always refer to his game against Spain in 2012 for example as just an insight to how things may have not been too much different if for example he was..
He was incredible this game and never had a team stacked with literal all time greats.
Yep, he was playing on the wing, I remember him skinning Evra. When Redknapp first arrived he tried him in the 10 and then put him on the wing in 4-4-2. But basically he was a wide playmaker, much like Nasri. He only played in CM for the last part of the first season due to injury crisis and then Bale also exploded as a winger.
The most complete CM of this era, and I don't think that's debatable.
He can do anything, at an exceptionally high level.
He can do anything, at an exceptionally high level.
I don’t remember that but I do remember him not starting at Spurs great and then was called Madrid’s flop of the season in his first few months
Modric doesn't look out of place in most discussions about elite CM's, but people shouldn't get carried away. There are some monsters lurking in them there waters.
Matthaus, Neeskens, Rijkaard, Keane, Falcao, Beckenbauer (if you put him there), Xavi, Didi, Toninho Cerezo, Robson, Schweinsteiger, Masopust, Bozsik, Luis Suarez and so on and so forth.
Modric isn't getting into an all-time xi or even making the squad, but he's still a gem of a player and undoubtedly a modern-day great.
I have said it so many times in the past: Scholesy was right! and it makes me laugh every time when I think of how this prophet was a caf meme when non-believers could not comprehend his vision at the time Modric was nothing like the player he became. I don't think any poster has called something so accurately and as far out there as he did at the time, and was utterly steadfast in his view despite the ridicule.
It was like Da Vinci explaining what a helicopter is and will do to a bunch of 16th century sceptics.
Matthaus, Neeskens, Rijkaard, Keane, Falcao, Beckenbauer (if you put him there), Xavi, Didi, Toninho Cerezo, Robson, Schweinsteiger, Masopust, Bozsik, Luis Suarez and so on and so forth.
Modric isn't getting into an all-time xi or even making the squad, but he's still a gem of a player and undoubtedly a modern-day great.
I have said it so many times in the past: Scholesy was right! and it makes me laugh every time when I think of how this prophet was a caf meme when non-believers could not comprehend his vision at the time Modric was nothing like the player he became. I don't think any poster has called something so accurately and as far out there as he did at the time, and was utterly steadfast in his view despite the ridicule.
It was like Da Vinci explaining what a helicopter is and will do to a bunch of 16th century sceptics.