Rakitić picks Luka Modrić over Iniesta and Xavi, reigniting the midfield GOAT debate

Ivan Rakitić has stirred a classic Real Madrid–Barcelona storm by choosing Luka Modrić over Andrés Iniesta and Xavi when asked to pick between the iconic midfielders. The Croatian, who shared a midfield with Iniesta at Barcelona and battled Modrić on the international stage, initially joked he couldn’t choose before firmly saying Modrić. The remark instantly split fans: Madrid supporters hailed the verdict as overdue recognition, while many Barcelona loyalists called it recency bias. The exchange has revived the long-running conversation about roles, eras, and what truly defines the greatest modern midfielder.

During a recent public Q&A, Ivan Rakitić — a former Barcelona and Croatia international currently playing for Al-Shabab — was asked to compare two legendary pairs: Andrés Iniesta vs. Luka Modrić and Xavi vs. Luka Modrić. Rakitić prefaced that choosing felt like picking between family before settling decisively on Modrić in both cases. The remarks quickly circulated across football communities and media outlets, drawing strong reactions from supporters of both Real Madrid and Barcelona and reigniting discourse around midfield greatness in the modern era.

"Iniesta or Luka Modrić" 🗣 Rakitić: "I can't choose, it's mum or dad... Luka Modrić." "Xavi or Luka Modrić" 🗣 Rakitić: "Luka Modrić."

@MadridXtra

Impact Analysis

Rakitić’s endorsement resonates because he has a rare vantage point: a Champions League-winning ex-Barcelona midfielder who also spent a decade facing Modrić in La Liga and on the international stage. His stance elevates the conversation beyond pure fan bias toward an insider’s appraisal of consistency, longevity, and adaptability. Modrić’s résumé — multiple Champions League titles with Real Madrid, a Ballon d’Or, and landmark runs with Croatia — underscores a career defined by reinvention in evolving tactical systems under elite managers.

By contrast, Iniesta and Xavi symbolize an era-specific mastery: the apex of positional play, press resistance, and tempo control that powered Spain and Barcelona’s dynasties. Rakitić’s choice challenges the perception that such dominance automatically trumps cross-era versatility. It spotlights metrics often overlooked in stylistic debates, such as durability across coaches and systems, late-career impact, and leadership under different game states.

For clubs, the ripple is reputational rather than operational. Real Madrid supporters see validation of Modrić’s enduring influence, while Barcelona fans rally around the foundational value Xavi and Iniesta provided to an entire footballing philosophy. The renewed discourse also frames how new stars — notably Jude Bellingham at Madrid — are judged, setting benchmarks for versatility, big-game imprint, and legacy-building.

Reaction

Social platforms lit up immediately. One user quipped that critics should ‘wait and see Barca fans cry and insult him,’ framing the fallout as inevitable tribal warfare. Another chimed in, ‘he’s seen the light,’ casting Rakitić’s take as a conversion to the Modrić camp. The humor came fast: ‘Bro said I can’t choose then instantly chose Modrić — no hesitation at all!’ While many Madrid-leaning accounts hailed ‘peak football knowledge,’ Barcelona defenders fired back: ‘Iniesta is better in every way,’ insisting artistry, control, and match-defining moments in finals still set him apart.

Others applauded the candidness: ‘He knows his GOAT,’ a nod to Modrić’s longevity and late-game mastery. Some conversations veered toward the present, with prominent voices pivoting to praise Jude Bellingham as the next standard-bearer. Beyond the banter, neutrals highlighted that Rakitić worked alongside Iniesta yet still chose Modrić — a data point they argue reflects on-field reality over nostalgia. The divide remains sharp but respectful, with most acknowledging all three as era-defining talents whose greatness depends on the lens: control and structure versus adaptability and clutch output.

Social reactions

And then varca will come to say otherwise

Youlensley Beton (@Youlensleybl8)

Modric even at 40, in the way of becoming Serie A player of the year. No doubt he is the best.

Musaa牟洒 Caam (@MusaaMurit23)

Bro was waiting to retire so he could say this 😭😭

kyky (@xabi_rma)

Prediction

This flashpoint will fuel a multi-layered narrative across the season. Expect Madrid circles to leverage big-game moments — late winners, control against elite opposition, Champions League knockout mastery — as living proof of Modrić’s case. If Real Madrid add more silverware, the chorus validating Modrić’s all-time status will intensify, with Bellingham’s influence often used as a contemporary comparison of impact and versatility.

Barcelona voices will counter by reframing criteria: primacy of system-building, technical purity, and the unparalleled dominance of the Xavi–Iniesta engine room during Spain’s treble of major tournaments and Barça’s historic trebles. Any tactical resurgence under new coaching cycles will be positioned as a legacy extension of that blueprint. In media discussions, the ‘best vs. most complete’ dichotomy will become a key axis, creating space to place Modrić, Iniesta, and Xavi atop different sub-categories of midfield greatness.

Panel debates will likely migrate to finer details: pressing resistance vs. transition mastery, longevity curves, and big-final footprints. The conversation won’t resolve; rather, it will crystallize around how we define greatness — style-setting dominance versus adaptive supremacy across eras.

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Conclusion

Rakitić’s choice doesn’t close the book on the midfield GOAT argument; it reframes it. Modrić symbolizes an elastic, era-spanning excellence that thrives amid tactical flux, while Iniesta and Xavi represent the purest expression of positional play ever seen. The debate is less about crowning a singular king and more about acknowledging distinct pathways to immortality: the architect’s control, the artist’s incision, and the polymath’s adaptability.

That Rakitić sided with Modrić after sharing a dressing room with Iniesta is significant — it hints at the weight professionals place on endurance, reinvention, and decisive moments under pressure. Barcelona fans will rightly guard the sanctity of a philosophy that rewired world football; Madrid fans will point to an unmatched Champions League legacy and Modrić’s clutch aura. Both can be true.

In the end, the argument endures because each lens captures a different kind of greatness. And if there’s a lasting takeaway from this flare-up, it’s that a new generation — epitomized by Bellingham — is already studying the blueprint these legends wrote, preparing the next chapter of the conversation.