Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka holds former Tottenham Hotspur star Luka Modric in very high regard.
Xhaka voted for Modric as part of FIFA’s The Best awards, and believed the Croatian was the second-best player in the world last year.
He held the Croatian in very good company, placing him between Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
The two forwards were the stats of the World Cup, and the Argentinian went on to win the overall award.
However, Modric’s class drove Xhaka to give him his vote after starring for Real Madrid and Croatia.
The pair play in the same position, and that may have played a part in his thinking.
Xhaka has been sensational this season, and looks to have taken some inspiration from Modric.
The 37-year-old narrowly missed out on a spot in the top three, with Messi and Mbappe joined by Karim Benzema.
Despite his age, the Ballon d’Or winner doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Xhaka voted for former Tottenham star Modric at The Best awards
Modric helped guide Croatia to a third-place finish in Qatar just a few months ago.
Gary Neville spoke at the time about how much he had improved since leaving Spurs in 2012.
Since then, he’s gone on to win multiple Champions League titles and La Liga on several occasions.
Given forwards normally dominate individual football awards, it’s a seriously sign of respect that Xhaka voted for Modric.
The pair have never met at club level, but did play twice at international level shortly after Modric left Tottenham.
They met in two international friendlies nearly two years ago, with the Arsenal man coming out on top.
Xhaka scored against Modric’s Croatia side more than ten years ago, just as his international career was starting.
The pair have both been outstanding servants at that level, although Modric has had more success.
Xhaka took any club allegiances out of the equation when he voted for Modric.
He’s very unlikely to continue that trend when he next takes the field for Arsenal against their arch rivals.
