Real Madrid News
Liverpool ace ranks Barcelona legend and Man City superstar ahead of Luka Modric
In a recent interview with GOAL (h/t Madrid Zone), Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was asked to rank a series of footballers, including Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, among many others.
In a similar question, the Liverpool new signing was asked to rank Andres Iniesta, Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne.
Luka Modric comes last
Mac Allister appears to favour Iniesta between the three, as he picked the former Barcelona midfielder ahead of De Bruyne and Modric.
One can hardly blame the Liverpool sensation as Iniesta is indeed one of the greatest midfielders in the 21st century, who adorned himself with titles during his time at Barça.
What was surprising, though, is that Mac Allister ended up picking Modric as his last option, just behind De Bruyne.
While there is no question that De Bruyne has been established as one of the finest playmakers in the Premier League era, it must be noted that Modric has far superior longevity.
A class above the rest
It is perhaps not fair to compare Modric and De Bruyne directly, as the two offer very different qualities, with the Belgian being far more attack-oriented.
However, it must be noted that Modric has been playing at the highest level of football for a decade and a half, with almost 500 competitive matches for Real Madrid.
Even at the age of 38, Modric has remained a key part of the Real Madrid midfield unit.
To put things into perspective, Iniesta left European football at the age of just 34 and is currently playing his trade in the United Arab Emirates, at the age of 39.
Nevertheless, one can forgive Mac Allister for choosing both the Barcelona legend and the Manchester City superstar, as both are special players, who have contributed a lot to European football over the years, just like Modric.
Nico Paz was long hyped as Real Madrid Castilla’s brightest upcoming star. The media constantly kept the spotlight on the young Argentine through pre-season as he made a strong impression under Carlo Ancelotti in preseason.
His breakthrough eventually arrived, courtesy of Real Madrid’s injury crisis. He has now made two appearances for the team in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League and even recorded his first goal for the club earlier this week against Napoli.
Taking his chances
As revealed by AS (h/t The Madrid Zone), Paz has impressed management with his cameo against Napoli and will be called up for Real Madrid’s clash against Granada tomorrow.
In fact, there is a good chance he sees significant game time on the night.
After all, Ancelotti is without the likes of Luka Modric, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga in the middle of the park.
With Toni Kroos, Dani Ceballos, Federico Valverde, and Jude Bellingham filling the starting spots, Paz serves as the manager’s first-choice backup off the bench.
Paz voices his elation
Paz’s introduction against Napoli changed the texture of the game, and it was only poetic that he got the goal that put Real Madrid ahead again on the night.
Speaking to the media after his special night, the Castilla star did not hold back on his emotions.
“This is a dream. For a moment I didn’t even believe it. Very happy to be able to help the team. I dared. I was in automatic mode, I didn’t even know what I was doing. I hit it and well.”
“This is also a message for the other youth players: it is possible to get there. Ancelotti congratulated me, and the whole staff. They are an incredible group and I want to thank them all,” he added, urging his Castilla teammates to keep pushing.
