Modric Vs Iniesta? Who is the better player?
Luka Modric is considered to be the greatest Croatian football player and one of the finest midfielders of all time. In 2024 the future of the player is uncertain as this is his last season in Real Madrid. Modric primarily performs as a centre midfielder, but he is also capable of playing as an attacking or defensive midfielder.
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish professional footballer known for his skill, composure, agility and flair on the ball. A legend for FC Barcelona and Spain he has achieved a lot in his career. Since his departure, Camp Nou is yet to experience a player of his excellence and class on the field. There have been a few promising players but none of them has enough talent to be compared to Iniesta.
1: Personal Stats
Iniesta and Modric are both considered to be legends of the football field and have had glorious careers. The two players has achieved a lot in their respective careers and now they have secured their position in the hall of fame. Taking a look at their best seasons might give us a clearer idea about how they stand when viewed in comparison.
| Iniesta | Modric | |
| Matches | 56 | 40 |
| Goals | 9 | 17 |
| Assists | 6 | 11 |
Based on the above comparison it is evident that Modric has better stats compared to Iniesta.
Overall Stats:
| Iniesta | Modric | |
| Matches | 868 | 756 |
| Goals | 90 | 80 |
| Assists | 162 | 129 |
After viewing their overall statistics we find out that Modric falls a little behind. There is a significant difference in the number of matches they have played. Iniesta has played with some of the best attackers in his career which also helped him achieve many assists.
2: Titles
Due to their unmatched talents and passionate gameplay, the players have attached precious awards and titles to the names of their respective teams and clubs. The two players have not only dominated La Liga and European football but also make it big on the international level.
| Iniesta | Modric | |
| Champions League | 4 | 5 |
| La Liga | 9 | 3 |
| FIFA CWC | 3 | 4 |
| UEFA Supercup | 7 | 4 |
| Spanish Cup | 6 | 2 |
| Spanish Supercup | 7 | 5 |
| Japanese Supercup | 1 | N/A |
| Others | 3 | 5 |
Upon looking at the titles we can clearly establish that Iniesta’s career has been bejewelled with a lot more titles as compared to Modric.
3: Individual Titles
Apart from the titles they have earned for their teams, the players have also earned some prestigious honours for themselves. The following is the list of individual honours received by the players:-
Individual Honors of Andres Iniesta:
La Liga Best Spanish Player: 2009
La Liga Best Midfielder: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
FIFA FIFPro World11: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
UEFA Team of the Year: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016
Onze de Bronze: 2009
UEFA Champions League top assist provider: 2010–11
ESM Team of the Year: 2010–11, 2017–18
Onze d’Argent: 2011
Marca Legend Award: 2011
UEFA Best Player in Europe Award: 2012
UEFA Euro Player of the Tournament: 2012
IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2012, 2013
IFFHS World Team of the Decade 2011–2020
IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade 2011–2020
FIFA Confederations Cup Silver Ball: 2013
La Liga top assist provider: 2012–13
Golden Foot: 2014
UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2014–15, 2015–16
FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2015
France Football World XI: 2015
La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16
UEFA Euro All-time XI (published 2016)
J.League Best XI: 2019, 2021
Ballon d’Or Dream Team (Bronze): 2020
Individual Honors oof Luka Modric:
UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2008
Tottenham Hotspur Player of the Year: 2010–11
UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2013–14, 2015–16, 2016–17,2017–18,2020–21,2021–22
La Liga’s Best Midfielder: 2013–14, 2015–16
FIFA FIFPRO World 11: 2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2022
La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16, 2021–22,2022–23
UEFA La Liga Team of the Season: 2015–16
FIFA Club World Cup Silver Ball: 2016
ESPN Midfielder of the Year: 2016, 2017,2018
UEFA Team of the Year: 2016, 2017, 2018
UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season: 2016–17, 2017–18
IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2017,2018,2022
ESM Team of the Year: 2021–22
FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2017
FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 2018
FIFA World Cup Fantasy Team: 2018
FIFA World Cup Dream Team: 2018
FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball: 2022
UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Award: 2017–18
The Best FIFA Men’s Player: 2018
IFFHS World’s Best Playmaker: 2018
Ballon d’Or: 2018
Goal 50: 2017–18
World Soccer Player of the Year: 2018
AIPS Athlete of the Year: 2018
Golden Foot: 2019
IFFHS World Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011–2020
Real Madrid Player of the Season: 2020–21
Marca Leyenda Award: 2022
Bosnian Premier League Player of the Year: 2003
Croatian Football Hope of the Year: 2004
HNL’s Footballer of the Year: 2007
Prva HNL Player of the Year: 2007
SN Yellow Shirt Award: 2007–08
Croatian Footballer of the Year: 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021,2022
Football Oscar for Best Croatian Player: 2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
HNS Trophy for Best Croatian Player: 2018
HOO Sportsman of the Year: 2018
SN Sportsman of the Year: 2018,2022
Franjo Bučar State Award for Sport – Yearly Award: 2018
Honorary citizen of the city of Zadar (2018)[478][479] and Zadar County (2019)
City of Zadar Award: 2018
Modric is the only player in the last decade who broke the Ballon D’or domination of Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. In terms of individual honours, Modric has a clear upper hand over Iniesta and hence, he is the winner of this category.
4: International Career
Luka Modric:
In Croatia’s 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, Modrić became the new team captain, following Darijo Srna’s retirement. On 15 July 2018, Modric was awarded the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament. Modric interestingly holds the record for both the oldest and youngest goalscorer in Croatia. Although Croatia lost to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup semifinal, Modric was awarded the bronze ball for his impeccable performance.
Andrès Iniesta:
Andrès Iniesta made a strong international debut by helping his team win the UEFA European U16 championship. He was named captain several times while playing in the U21 championships for Spain. He was man of the match of the World Cup finals of 2010 which was also the first time that Spain won the World Cup. Iniesta was also chosen as the UEFA Euro 2012 Player of the Tournament. He retired from international football on 25th May 2023 and at the time of retiring was the nation’s fourth-most-capped player of all time, behind only Iker Casillas, Xavi, and Sergio Ramos.
6: Personal Life
Luka Modric:
Modric keeps a low profile when it comes to his life outside of football. His autobiography Moja igra (My Game), co-written with renowned Croatian-Italian sports writer Robert Matteoni, was published in late 2019. He also starred in the first season of Captains, a docu-series released in 2022 on Netflix.
Andrès Iniesta:
Iniesta openly talked about the depression that he faced before the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a result of his injuries and the death of Daniel Jarque. In September 2018, Iniesta alongside German footballer Lukas Podolski campaigned and donated money for the victims of the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake in Japan.
Luka Modric Or Iniesta? Who is the better player?
Upon looking at various aspects of the player’s respective careers, we can say that both of them have made a significant mark on the field of football and have gone down in the books as legends. It is very difficult to compare two such players who define perfection and has done so much for the beautiful sport. Iniesta has won more and bigger titles compared to Modric but when it comes to longevity Modric is still dominating the midfield of Real Madrid in 2023. When viewed in comparison, we can conclude that Modric runs slightly ahead of Iniesta and hence he stands as the winner of our comparison.
