Real Madrid News
Barcelona legend hails Real Madrid veteran as ‘one of the best midfielders’ ever
Speaking in an interview with AS, former Barcelona midfielder and club legend Andres Iniesta has hailed Real Madrid veteran Luka Modric as one of the best players ever.
Modric, 37, is still going strong despite his advanced years and is performing at the top level week in, week out. The Croatian international continues to remain an integral part of the plans under manager Carlo Ancelotti, even though he is theoretically in the twilight years of his career.
This season, it has often been seen that Modric leaves pitches with standing ovations from the crowd irrespective of which stadium he is playing at. This is similar to what happened with Iniesta during the final phase of his career.
When asked if he sees any similarities between himself and Modric, the current Vissel Kobe midfielder replied: “We are players with different profiles but at the same time similar in terms of position on the field, conception of the game, and 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.”
The Barcelona great then addressed the comparisons between the legendary midfield trio involving himself, Xavi and Sergio Busquets and that of Modric, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
“That Madrid trident is one of the best that has ever existed. They have won many titles and without a doubt, they are one of the best tridents, just like us,” Iniesta said.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup winner also stated that Karim Benzema was the right person to win the Ballon d’Or 2022 award, saying: “The one who wins it is always the just winner.”
With the international break done and dusted, Real Madrid will be back in action this weekend in La Liga, where they will be looking to catch up to league leaders FC Barcelona.
Coming up for Jose Mourinho & co., who lost their last game before the international break, will be a home game against Villarreal on Saturday.
And, leading up to the game, the Spanish capital club have received welcome news on the injury front.
Mbappe back in group training
Indeed, as per MARCA, Kylian Mbappe will be available for Real Madrid’s match against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Having been training individually so far this week, the France captain rejoined group training under Mourinho today, taking a concrete step forward towards making himself available for the game.
The forward looked relaxed and ready to work, putting his boots back on and joining the group as Real Madrid prepare for a demanding run of fixtures throughout October.
And, unless there is any unforeseen setback, everything suggests that Mbappe will be ready to start against the Yellow Submarine come Saturday.
Under scrutiny
The past few weeks have been nothing short of eventful for Mbappe, with his every action and movement under heavy scrutiny.
Playing for France, in Zinedine Zidane’s managerial debut, the 27-year-old superstar scored a goal before asking for a substitution due to a knee injury.
Having flown back to Madrid, he underwent tests, which confirmed the injury, although it was not as serious as was initially feared.
The forward then took week-long holiday with his partner that sparked some debate among supporters and attracted criticism from multiple quarters.
Mbappe returned to Madrid on Monday and participated in individual sessions at Valdebebas over the past couple of days. Now he has resumed normal training with his teammates.
There had been doubts over whether Mbappe would be able to face Villarreal after he picked up the injury on 25 September.
However, the recovery plan followed by the forward appears to have worked, and he is now expected to be in a fully fit condition for Saturday’s match.
Allen Sibanda
November 1, 2022 at 3:59 pm
Iniesta is one of the greatest players in football but Luka Modric I can say he is the greatest midfielder I have ever seen, his dribbling skills, ball distribution, movement off the ball and even his goals are just something out of this world. He is fast and very decisive when he has the ball.
Zaharaddeen
November 1, 2022 at 7:53 pm
What inieasta have said is nothing but the truth