Luka Modrić was just named to the 2015 FIFA All-World team. The same All-World team that has Messi (Barcelona), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Neymar (Barcelona) and Neuer (Bayern Munich) on it. Thiago Silva (PSG), Marcelo (Real Madrid), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona) and Paul Pogba (Juventus) round out the final XI.
It’s quite the honor. We all know Modrić pulls the strings at Real Madrid with a team that consists of some of the most elite football players in the world.
But my question to you CroatianSports.com nation is this:
(and I’m only sort of playing devil’s advocate here)
If Modrić put in the same display he did in 2015 at a club not named Real Madrid, would he have been voted in the top 11?
And my answer is NO.
Look at the list. Four Real Madrid players. Four Real Madrid players.
Is there a Spanish bias here? No English players present; where Eden Hazard carried Chelsea to a title last season (definitely nothing to show this year) and Sergio Aguero was slinging goals for Man City in a league which is easily more physically demanding than La Liga. Does Zlatan belong on this team? Maybe. But he plays in the France. So no love there.
But I was quite surprised this morning when the team was announced and I saw Modrić as the midfield catalyst for this imaginary World All-Star team. He flies under the radar. He doesn’t score goals. He’s not flashy. He’s not vocal. So how did he make this list?
He he, we shall see…
@Zl………….actually, that never took place. You can rip me all you want. Hell, I encourage it. But, at least be accurate. What I did do is repeat what the Spanish media and fans were saying. Again, be accurate.
Now, you may recall my comments in the hours after our elimination from Euro 2012 where I praised Modric for his play against Spain and said he would excel in La Liga. Maybe that is what you remember.
“The kid is not there yet” wtf are you talking about he’s already class
Do you even watch Juve play other than the 2 times they’re on American TV, the dude is a stud, just because he’s young doesn’t mean anything
remember when ziva was jumping up and down on here and so happy that modric was a bust, laughing about it, posting, too funny now when you see what modric has done in spain
I think Pogba is the real deal. I agree with you on Yaya Toure, but not for calendar year 2015. His 2015 was not as good as his 2014 was.
I think that is one thing people don’t realize when they vote for this award, it is only for that specific calendar year and not a lifetime achievement award.
Also what the f is pogba doing in that team??? The kids got talent but he is not there yet. Yaya toure is still the best midfielder, or busquets. @bulger bale would play for barcelona? At left back? Or replace messi? Maybe Suarez? Maybe neymar? He he
@slavonac yeah giggs was world class. @bulger yeah bro I’d take bale as a left back in the arsenal side… 🙂
@ Crnkovic You must be high or smoking something Bale wouldn’t get in the Arsenal team your joking right? He plays for Real Madrid man. He would also get in the Barcelona team easily. Go back to Africa Crnkovic.
Crnkovic, this is the first time in years I read someone here with well thought out and experienced comments…good job!
Most people see the basic play or set of played but they don’t watch how they develop or how they could have developed…lack of experience and intuition.
I really enjoyed reading your description of Bale, it’s bang on! He’s a great player…if he has space or is running into the ball into space, with pace. He doesn’t have the abilities to use intelligence, quick passes, starting from a dead ball position in limited space…BUT…when he has real estate in front of him, he can be deadly.
Years ago when Ryan Giggs was younger he was similar but in my opinion, even better because he could dribble with speed and turn defenders indside out.
Modric could fit in almost any team, Bale needs a system that suits him!
@poglavnik. Really bro. You made my day. When I was a kid I used to wish that croatia and Zambia were the same country, cos I love them both. No sea in Zambia, no elephants in croatia. Plenty good people in both. And pride and football talent and passion. How could chose one parent over the other? But then these nut jobs would go crazy, spitting out their civapcici, locking their daughters inside and blaming the communists he he 😉
Yeah copper bullets. Thank you bro. We deserved it. This world is bigger than croatia indeed. And amerikkka, thank god. Loooool
All good bro. There are different tactical set ups, let’s see how bale does now that zz is in charge. Having said that look at spain. Double European champions AND world champions. Fast and powerful players with howitzer shots? = zero. Look at xavi, look at pirlo, iniesta. I don’t really pay that much attention to transfer value. I just watch the games. When you play for a big team, other teams tend to drop deep and there is little space too run into, so bales main quality becomes less useful at a club like madrid. His close control is not even close to world class, same for his game vision, same for his agility in tight spaces. If you put bale in the right team, a high intensity, counter attacking team then you have your monster. For Wales who give him freedom to roam and run with ball wherever the space is and also play on the counter attack he is serious weapon. There are so many factors which dictate performance and value, tactics, relationship with other players, jealousy, favouritism, marketability, agents, whether the wife is happy etc. but at the end of the day, I don’t think bale would get in the arsenal team, or the barcelona team. Modric on the other hand would walk into ANY team in the world. Hmmm
The Copper Bullets huh?
That was beautiful to see them win it all after losing their team like that!
Just busting your balls.
Someone takes shots at my opinion so I shoot back.
That’s how the game goes right? 😉
I’ve played the game no where near a high level. But I do play 3 times a week and I watch nothing more than soccer. Iv been a central midfielder most of my life too so I love what Luka does, BUT there’s a reason most tranfer value assessments have Luka around 50 and Gareth between 80-100. Being argubaly the fastest most powerful guy on the pitch with a howitzer of a left foot carries more value in my opinion.
Is anyone even going to euro other than dejan m and ziva……
Mishko,
Beautiful place bro!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2607110-world-football-hidden-truths-zinedine-zidane-is-reinventing-luka-modric
Nikica Jelavic might be looking to move to China to play for Guangzhou Evergrande whose coach is Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Anyone who has forgotten how good modric is, check out modric vs spain on youtube….
@ boliban and Faux Cro
We’re starting a manufacturing company in the paintball business, which will ultimately become a sports enterprise based on the background of me and my partner and we need a presence in Europe. Not planning on making a business in breeding working dogs, but the potential is there. Everything there is show, and my lines are old school dobies from the 70’s
Since my mom died in October I have no reason to be in the U.S. and I really love my family, plus the math is just too good. Selling everything, building a house that is totally American, a Jacuzzi and pool, and sitting on enough money to retire even if we complete screw up, which is unlikely.
Added bonuses, no pressing 2 or English, no traffic, no illegals, no black lives matter shit birds and not having to watch America get tore a new ass with these NWO commie bastards destroying it from within. Bad parts, the bureaucracy is amazingly ridiculous, and watching Croatians struggle because the politicians have no idea what they’re doing other than robbing the country blind.
If people are interested, email me, mark@knop.com and I’ll explain the procedures that I’ve gone through with getting my residency and how I filed my citizenship papers.
Here’s a video of my house that is ALMOST completed, should net me over 500K in profit once sold is my guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8SGXvxvFqE&feature=youtu.be
Btw zambia won the afcon 2012 beating ghana in the semi final, Ivory Coast with all their big players, in the final. Majority of the Zambian squad based in the local league, no big stars at all. Team spirit, the determination to make your country proud is worth more than any player can ever be worth. Unfortunately, and it pains me to say it, I worry sometimes about our croatian boys….smh. Mental midgets as ziva calls them….lol. But I believe we can do it. Definite semi final at least, the new generation has a different confidence it seems. Those guys, halilovic, kovacic, vlasic, balic, coric, brekalo and others…they believe they are as good or better than anyone, quite right too zds
@poglavnik lmao!! Ok fair enough, it was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Lol he he. Good one. Btw I watch a lot of football, you can test my knowledge if you like. I’ve also played semi-pro in four countries. Croatia, Italy, England and Zambia. We can talk about any player you like. I love football. I’m half Zambian half Croat, I support zambia and croatia…dinamo zagreb and arsenal. Lol…ok best EVER? Maybe not. He he
@Crnkovic
“Best performance you’ve EVER seen?!”
Good one!
And we’re the ones that need to brush up on our soccer.
There is a footballing world outside of Hrvatska you know?
If you applied for tickets for through UEFA you need to have a CREDIT card as form of payment, a debit card will not work when it comes time for selection. It let me put a visa debit card in but it will not be accepted if i get selected from what I understand. they changed it from the first round to this round
anyone else have insight on this?
some Mexicans think it isn’t offensive, they actually say it isn’t meant to be rude. my question is, tell me how you can use the word “puto” the way they do and in what context will it be anything other than offensive?
FIFA cracking down on the mexicans….
about time…
http://www.espnfc.us/mexico/story/2786833/mexico-to-appeal-fine-from-fifa-for-homophobic-chants
.
well, that situation sure caused hysteria here on this site and on other sites where they have the opportunity to blow things out of proportion.
If Kramaric did go back (I highly doubt it), he should take a serious look at himself in the mirror and check his dignity level!
here we may be seeing another Zdravko Mamic moment when on one hand, he is ridiculed, criticized and lambasted by not only us…but everyone and yet, we see guys like Coric make a 360 turnaround and possibly even Kramaric….wtf is going on here?
I’m wondering if we have been misinformed on some of the shit we read?
No, not enemy. I don’t think you were aware of the situation back then. Kramaric and his old man didn’t want Mamic and his son as his agent. That was the issue. And because of that, the Kramaric family felt his minutes were limited at Dinamo because he refused to be a “Mamic” guy. Not uncommon in Cro soccer that a kid doesn’t get minutes because of who his agent is or is not.
Everything worked out fine for Kramaric. He got out, got playing time and was sold and kept some of the transfer fee. He was sold to a big league and is receiving a very nice salary. Now, he has not shown anything in England so he needs to find a club where he can get minutes and possibly a Euro spot. Is that at Dinamo????
Money talks……….There are no enemies in Cro soccer (well maybe with Da Silva and Mamic), all issues are a result of money issues and can be solved by money.
Thanks slavonac. Ziva I agree, it’s a team game. Individual awards are for the show and celebrity culture. Show me some football. Btw there is great squad now so much talent coming through, which is great, but how does cacic pick the best 11? That’s tough. Look at badelj, nobody seems to like him, but he pulls the strings with class for fiorentina and recently he’s been great for the repka, against Argentina and Russia. Brozovic? Kovacic? Mocinic? Pasalic? Who plays with modric in the middle? I thought the 442 worked well against Russia, kalinic and mandzukic complement each other well. Brozovic is good in wide areas. With perisic on the other side. That means no rakitic. We have the talent, let’s hope the coach picks the right team for each game, whatever that is. I’d would start with halilovic against the Turks. But not against the Czechs…. 😉
so Ziva, whats your take on the Kramaric to Dinamo story? if this is true, do we still hate Mamic…after all, Kramaric was once his enemy right?
Crnkovic…bravo but most guys only recognize goals and action in the final 3rd of the field…thats the problem with debating about this subject. so many only recognize the obvious and not the details so we end up arguing over things many here just do not understand!
Wow, it really shows some short memory and lack of understanding of the game. You guys, living in football backwaters listening to American commentators about stats in the game and speed and power. Smh. Go back to croatia and learn the game. Remember modric vs spain at the last euros? Best performance I have ever seen. Simply incredible. He did everything won the ball, organised the play, dictated the rhythm and created the golden chance by driving down the side of the pitch, using his skill and picking out rakitic For an easy header which should have taken croatia through and spain out. He was makelele, iniesta AND bale in one player. Lmao bale better than modric. He he. You jokers. Bale is a very good player, and he will shine now that zz is at the helm. Btw did any of you see the game against depor? Modric has been reminded that he is not a water carrier in midfield by zz. Watch him these next few months, I pray for no injury, you will suddenly remember who we are talking about. The guy is a genius. Bale is an athlete
@Mishko:
Good for you. Good luck.
Are you going to breed/train dogs there?
@Ante:
There definitely is a Spanish bias, but lets face it Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two best club teams at the moment.
Bale is good at what he does, but I would pick Modric as he can make many good wingers and forwards excel with his service.
We saw this at Spurs.
@ mishko
why you moving back to croatia?
Yes, to some degree it is a popularity contest, but also realize it is the ultimate test. Modric is playing in the top league against the best players in the world in almost every game. Real Madrid and Barca simply buy a better player if they feel there is one out there, so just by being a regular starter he is in a very elite group.
Modric is not the type to lead the stat sheet, but he makes everyone on the pitch better. Name a more deserving midfielder and I can easily poke holes in your choice.
Plus, for the jersey chasing crowd it will be the first time the new kits will be worn. Although, they will be out before the game.
Croatia will play at Hungary for a friendly on March 26th.
This doesn’t take away from the honor Modric received, but these type of awards and recognitions are in a lot of ways a popularity contest or playing for the right club at the right time.
Only awards I care about are those won on the field: league titles, domestic cups, continental competitions and the World Cup. Everything else can be thrown down the toilet.
Ziva…you do make a good point!
I’ll stop making sarcastic comments. Obviously Payet has a lot to prove. He’s been sensational for West Ham though.
Modric was terrible in the El Clasico. In such a high-profile game, I thought that would doom him. Still an excellent player regardless.
Was it the Pakistan NT head coach that gave his #1 Ballon D’or vote to Robben? The same Robben injured for much of 2015.
That NT coach is watching a lot of games. For sure.
More proof these awards are BS…..
Druga Liga Cacic had a vote for coach/manager and he gave his first place vote to……………Carlo Ancelotti. Ancelotti won nothing with Real Madrid from January – June 2015 and then was fired and hasn’t coached the second half of 2015. But, Druga Liga Cacic thinks that was enough.
Poglavnik & Kvartuc,
I really like Bale, especially when he’s on but in my opinion and over the course of the last 2 seasons…he’s very inconsistent. for that reason, its impossible (in my opinion) to say he’s contributed more than Modric! I am have have always been a Real Madrid fan and was very happy when they signed Bale…but if we are going to be honest, its obvious the guy hasn’t really had a long string of consistent play, which is why I can easily make my argument for Luka.
I think some people see some of his incredible plays and then live off of those moments but the game is 90 minutes, not 2. I watched in Champions League last year and in some games I was shocked at how bad he was!
don’t judge a player by some flashes of brilliance…judge them by their overall contributions on both sides of the field!
i agree with you when it comes to la liga players having an advantage. Marcelo over Davis Alaba?
And in other news, I just got back from Croatia. Got my Croatian residency card approved and my citizenship papers are filed. Should have my house sold in Pasadena by the end of February and start building on the property I bought in Croatia should start in March if I get the building permits.
Here’s the property. This is 30,000 square feet or 2,500 square meters and was 45K out the door.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bZuZLLnzys
@ allen
payet was out for 3 months, not proven in prem yet, great player tho.
bale different class for james…….bale can be THAT guy on a team james can’t…….. Isco > James…..they just paid way too much for james to sit him
You guys are like listening to my Wife.. Stop it.
Modric can play Winger better then Bale can play central Midfielder. That aside
They play different positions and are not in competition with each other to get on this team. Bale could not beat out Messi and Neymar to get on this team. Modric beat out his competition.
The fact that he plays on Real.. so what, you have to be good to play on that team.
@Poglavnik………..I’m not saying Marcelo is bad. Very, very good player. I just thought Jordi Alba and David Alaba had better years. Someone who gets no love but I really like his game is Ricardo Rodríguez.
@Slavonac
Scoring 20 a year as a winger is filling the net. He could play like Mandzukic, stand on the six and score headers all day probably. He’s great in the air.
If youre going to mention blow outs that he’s scored in, let me mention the clutch goals he’s scored for Madrid because there have been a few.
CL final extra time, torching Alba down the wing in the Copa Del Rey final.
How much do you think those two goals alone are worth to Perez?
I believe West Ham have won both games since Payets return.
Go Bilic go!
Why aren’t we talking about the real outrage? Dimitri Payet was robbed of a spot. Much better season than Modric.
I’m not sure I fully agree Ante. I do think that at the moment it is the Ronaldo show but Bale hasn’t performed to his full potential CONSISTENTLY!
I like Bale, don’t get me wrong but I think he can be your best player or your biggest bust at times. Of course teams depend on him, I surely would but with that said there are key positions and key players on all teams and based on the last couple of years we’ve seen that when Modric is injured or isn’t at his best, Real suffer. When Bale isn’t at his best, they have options.
Too many cooks in the kitchen at Real. That’s why Bale can’t “fill the net.”
I just had this conversation with a Brazilian buddy who was all over Neymar in September/October. It’s the same principle.
Neymar was awesome earlier this year because he no longer had to share the ball with Messi, who was out with injury. Naturally, when the guy who is scoring all the goals for your team is out, that opens up alot of opportunity for you. Neymar delivered.
The only way we would really test Bale on this is if Ronaldo went out and Bale took over the team and was averaging a goal a game. He can’t now because it’s Ronaldo’s team and everything goes through him first.
Why doesn’t Modric play well for Croatia? Because at Real he plays an incredibly risk averse game with a very high successful pass percentage. That works on a team with incredibly skilled teammates. For Croatia he has to play differently. He has to take risks, accept that he won’t complete all his passes and that some of his initiatives will go nowhere etc. That’s exactly what the coach should be telling him: “This is not Real, take chances, and don’t be afraid to fail.”
if you look over the course of last season and this season, Mandzukic and Bale are currently tied with 29 goals in all competitions so I’m not sure why anyone thinks Bale is “filling the net”?
Love James game too.
Was raving about him well before the last WC.
Bale James Modric we’re talking about top 25 in the world talent. Really hard to separate from that unless you’re Messi or Ronaldo.
I just think a Bale is harder to come by.
Filling the net is what it’s about.
The only time our team did anything was when I guy named Suker buried 6 in a tourney.
Real Madrid is and has been my team for at least 25 years. I can tell you with 100% certainty that they did NOT buy James because he scored 1 goal…if you believe that then you are lost.
I was comparing effectiveness when I compared James and Bale. I entered the amount of goals Bale has scored this year…I’ve also watched him play some extremely shitty games in all competitions and at times he’s looked like he isn’t worth $100 never mind $100 mill.
if you’ve watched Bale, you have to see the guy has not been worth what they paid for him, not even close!
@ Slavonac,
Bale IS Wales. Without him they would barely be able to compete. Without James, Colombia could still compete.
James is a great player. But I was never that big on him. Only reason he’s on Real is because he scored a ridiculous goal at the World Cup. Without that goal, no way the he makes the transfer. And no way we’re talking about him today.
I watch Madrid games reguarly on BEIN because of Modric and Kovacic. I have seen James sit so many sitters, it’s not even funny.
Bale over James all day.
Your move.
look at something interesting regarding Bale:
Bale scored 3 goals on Jan 9th vs Deportivo Real won 5-0
Bale scored 4 goals on Dec 20th vs Vallecano Real won 10-2
Bale scored 2 goals on Aug 29th vs Betis Real won 5-0
do his goals really look like they made a difference?
thats 9 goals out of his total 14 goals ….and look at the goals he scored…his team killed their opponents by 20 – 2
12 games he did not score
@Ziva
So who’s a better left sided fullback?
Pranjic maybe?
Bale over Modric for me.
Bale can change a game in a second.
He’s a man amongst boys.
Speed and power kill!
There’s a reason he’s worth well over 100 million Euros. Guys like him are harder to come across than the Modric’s of the world.
That being said, I do love Modric’s game.
Always have.
What does that sleazy agent in He Got Game say,
“Speed and power are like diamonds and platinum!”
Modrić nije prvi: Ante Žanetić izabran je u najbolju momčad svijeta 1960. zajedno s Peleom, Puskasom…
http://dalmatinskiportal.hr/sport/modric-nije-prvi–ante-zanetic-izabran-je-u-najbolju-momcad-svijeta-1960–zajedno-s-peleom–puskasom-/9577
congratulations Modric but
This season is Rakitic earned entry into the best team!!
Personally, I don’t care what these guys do at the club level. Only thing that matters to me is the repka and how the repka performs.
PS…..James is very highly regarded…and yet, Modric is preferred!
I believe I am a fan of the game, I respect all positions and types of players. I think I have the ability to acknowledge and recognize many parts of the game, not just the goals, moves, skills…I also see off the ball adjustments, backtracking, how a quick pass can make the difference….with all that said, I say Modric…just as I used to like Pavel Nedved, Juan Sebastian Veron, Scirea, Gentile, Gattusso….they were all very effective players and yet, not all were guys like Bale…they didn’t score…
“Why is he not as effective on Croatia?”
this is a tough one to answer. he plays a complicated position…the hardest position to play on the field and when you have strategical differences, formation differences and then personnel differences, they can affect the performance of a player. some guys are better with their National team…ie…Bale…because there isn’t a Ronaldo or Benzema on the squad.
I now have a question for you? who is better for their NT…James or Bale?
if you ask me, James is amazing…but according to you, he doesn’t contribute goal wise…so Bale is better…right?
What does ranking have to do with this discussion?
And are you comparing Bale to Maradona?
Modric gets to sit back and distribute the ball to the best players in the world. Three of them are on the all-world team and two others are Kroos and Bale. I’ve watched his games and he does some incredible stuff with the ball. There’s no denying that. However, the play has to be completed by the finishing player to make Modric look so good.
Why is he not as effective on Croatia? Because the play is not as fast-paced like Real Madrid.
Slavonac,
Answer this for me.
If Modric played the same game with Real Madrid, with the same results and accolades but was Czech or Belgian or whatever, would you still take him over Bale?
woooooooowwww….I re-read my FIFA rank and just realized a mistake. Wales is ranked 17th, one better than Croatia and yet I bet Croatia would beat them quite easily!
ohhhh I totally agree with you (wink wink)….Wales boasts a FIFA ranking spot of #34…if you’re gonna use him as an example of game winners then lets throw in Maradona, who carried Napoli and drove Argentina to the World Cup Winners bus.
Bale is a good player, he’s very fast and has some good technique/skills….he can beat you alone….but he is not as dominant when he is amongst other better or equal to him. Wales play everything through him…its obvious he gets chances and scores.
you have to look at what each player means to the health of their respective team. Bale is supposed to score, Luka is supposed to break up the play, link the defense to forwards, create and distribute…
Here’s your stat of day:
In Euro 2016 qualifying,
Bale scored 7 of Wales’ 11 goals.
3 were game-winners. 2 of which were inside the last 10 minutes of the match. There’s no argument here, without Bale, Wales does not get close to qualifying.
At the same time, this is the Ronaldo-Messi debate as both players do not play the same position.
Bale is an attacking winger while Modric is a center midfield distributor.
My argument is this. Modric needs decent players around him to be as effective as he is today. Bale, although maybe one-dimensional, does not.
I just think some of you are going Croatian bias on this. If Modric was Czech, would you be saying the same thing?
Btw, I’m with Slavonac as far as Luka over Bale.
Any team I’ve ever played on, any team I’ve ever coached, any game I’ve ever watched the midfield is the engine. You live and die with your midfield.
Wales with Bale is something, Bale with Real is just another player…but can be easily replaced….how did Real do without Luka when he was injured?
Typical Croatian angst here debating the merits of his inclusion….don’t over-think it boys, revel in it.
He won it so he deserved it. Full stop.
Bravo Luka, svaka ti cast!
@ Slavonac,
How often does that happen?
The last 10 games Bale has played for Wales. If he misses 3-4 games in qualifying, Wales are not in Euro. Simple as that.
Ante…you asked:
“You’re starting a team and you have to choose between Modric and Bale as your first pick. Who you got?”
Bale or Modric on Real Madrid…Modric without a doubt in my mind.
you will never achieve and get results if you do not have a solid middle of the field…defending, linking the defense through to the strikers. in Bale’s case, he could win the game on his own…but how often does that happen? In Luka’s case, he sets the tempo, he breaks up the play and he transitions the play…with him teams have freedom to attack and not worry so much, without him they lose someone that covers a lot of area and someone that can help maintain a lot of possession.
Most fans of a team or a club are idiots and never make sense when discussing their teams or players. They are pom-pom wavers.
When referring to a team as “we” or “us”, that says it all about a fan group.
@Ante/Slavonac,
I got Modric. Its not easy playing for Real Madrid. Littleman from Zadar had a rough start but has blossomed into a top 10 midfielder in the world. I wonder how MOdric would answer this question:
More pressure playing for Madrid or Croatia?
Bale can win a game with one shot or disappear like Harry Kane for Tottenham.
Slavonac,
You humor me.
Real fans. Really?
Real Madrid fans are some of the worst in the world. They have history and money (the club does), so once the team drops points in back to back games, or whatever scenario you come up with, everyone loses their minds. They hated Modric when he first came to the club because he didn’t deliver. They don’t back their players emotionally, they only back them on the stat sheet.
Real Madrid fans are like New York sports fans. Everything’s hunky dory when you’re winning, but anything else and players/coaches are getting sent into the board room.
Here is my question to you:
(Pick one)
You’re starting a team and you have to choose between Modric and Bale as your first pick. Who you got?
modric when real won it all probably deserved it…recently probably less so
but as many have mentioned, this is clealry a silly team…
marcelo?
iniesta?
clear media bias. iniesta scored 0 goals and had 1 assist in la liga last year.
rakitic is more vital to that team that iniesta as he has the work rate to recycle the ball back to the front 3 and can from time to time actually produce goals/assists unlike iniesta
Ante…thank God you have little to do with the game, Real fans were ready to tell Bale to go fuck himself…Modric is worth a million times more.
Bale has the ability to change a game, so do soo many other players…he’s extremely inconsistent and lacks common sense at times.
if you lose Modric you lose games, if you lose Bale you may lose a chance or two but you have soo many others on that team that can replace his chances with their own, you lose little.
Same?
Who do you take over Modric?
A million times out of a million times…I would pick this guy. And Im surprised no one’s mentioned him so far because they play on the same team:
BALE.
Same brand recognition. Same trophys last year. Same everything. Bale can take over a game. Modric can only compliment it.
of course this isn’t a perfect way to vote for a player but I’ve seen Messi win when Ronaldo should have…its a matter of opinion so in most people’s opinion, Marcelo is probably the best left back in the game….I’m not his biggest fan but I do tend to agree that he’s an exciting and dangerous player who is entertaining and usually tough to mark.
Fair enough, I would have put him in the middle of the best team in one of the last three years for sure, I’d like to say unbiased but that’s impossible!
I’m not saying its a bad thing. Great honor for him. Like I said yesterday, his inclusion isn’t anything glaring. For me he would have just missed out because he did miss some games due to injury and his performances for the repka didn’t leave any lasting memories. Hell, the only real memory from the repka in 2015 was the team quitting on Kum Kovac.
Including Alves is the biggest question in that selection.
@ziva, I pay no attention to those teams, you do I had no idea about the votes, i agree they are just for show but let the little man shine, having a great Hrvat player in the team is good!
Marcelo is a damn good player, but he didn’t have a year that warranted being in the top 11. He made it on reputation and playing at Real.
That is why I pay no attention to these type of teams or all-star teams, because they are popularity contests and plenty of times not based on merit. Hell, even the Ballon d’Or is a waste. Messi’s three votes went to Suarez, Neymar and Iniesta, while Ronaldo picked Benzema, James and Bale. Neither one of these two clowns voted for the other even though we all know they are the two best players.
Celebrate the wins I say even if all they needed was someone to make Messi look tall I would put him on that team.
@ Ziva
so who would you of picked over Modric for Team of the Year?
guy is a top 10 midfielder in the word and even more shocking, I thought you would support a fellow Dalmatinac more
so Marcelo is not a good player?
Maybe the wrong year but I’m sure someone else took his place last year!
Marcelo made the team as well……that is all you need to know about this honor.
Modric is a great player and I thought he would excel in La Liga and he has after a rough start, but this honor is a result of being in the right place at the right time.
After he got over being a bust he’s been killer!
“If Modrić put in the same display he did in 2015 at a club not named Real Madrid, would he have been voted in the top 11?”
If Luka was still at Tottenham and the EPL was as strong as La Liga, maybe yes…but since there wasn’t an English team in the Champions League that made it past the round of 16, there isn’t a ton of credibility in EPL right now….2 French teams knocked out 2 EPL teams and Barca knocked out the 3rd.
it really was a deserved honour for Luka. He does a lot of work for his team-mates and for the many that do not understand his role and expect him to dribble 6 players and score, he was acknowledged for his brilliance and contributions….not scoring.
I’m very proud of him and for him!
From “bust” to world team of the year!
Luka is a transcendent midfielder, he is stronger than ever and his creative powers only grow and expand.
Please Vatreni take advantage of his peak years and make a run in France and take it all in Russia.
Please surround him with speed and industry to avoid burning him out. Limit his defensive role and give him the captain’s arm band!
@ Zinedin Zidane
Please spell Luka as much as possible this second half the season. We know he is the only player in your club who has 10% of your field awareness but there is only so much he can carry. Especially with Foni Kroos playing square balls and unable to penetrate with dribble or pass.
@ Bale
What do you think is a fair reciprocity to Modric? All the world class service and cover he has been providing to you since Crottenham and now Real Crodrid deserves some respect.
@ Svima
We have more talent and depth in the national set up then ever.
These next 6 months will shape the next 6 years.
We finally have an opportunity to break out of the malaise of mediocrity.
Please share out all the possible positive scenarios that have us have an explosive starting 11, 3 impactful subs, squad of young depth, and a tactical set up that brings out the natural Croatian footballer to the European stage.
Bog i Hrvati.
Modric had waxing and waning fan support for a while, now it seems his popularity among Real Madrid fans is fairly stable, which probably helped in this particular scenario. I won’t complain about him getting this compliment, and he certainly has played a significant role in their relatively recent successes, but if he were still playing for Tottenham with the same numbers I doubt he’d be named to the ‘team’. Then again, as we all know, in soccer numbers certainly don’t carry as much weight compared to most other sports.