How Luka Modric compares to Andres Iniesta: Passing, dribbling, trophies

Luka Modric has undoubtedly cemented his legacy as one of the greatest midfielders of all time, but how do his stats compare to the legendary Andres Iniesta?

We’ve taken a deeper dive into Modric’s stats from this season and stacked them up against Iniesta’s last season with Barcelona in 2017/18 to see how they compare. 

 

Trophies 

In 2017/18 Barcelona were crowed champions of La Liga after racking up 93 points and finishing 14 points clear of second place. 

In comparison, Real Madrid were victors of La Liga this season after picking up 86 points and finishing 13 points clear of second place. 

As well as winning La Liga, Iniesta also won the Copa del Rey in his final season with Barcelona where he scored in the final as they beat Sevilla 5-0. 

This season the Croatian midfielder cemented himself as an all-time great in the Champions League as he won his fifth UCL trophy with Real Madrid. 

In his final season with Barcelona, Andres Iniesta was 34 years old and we are comparing his stats to the now 36-year-old Luka Modric.  

 

Passing range 

The most obvious point of comparison between these two playmakers is of course their passing range and how they influenced the midfield third. 

Throughout the 17/18 season, Iniesta averaged 7.78 progressive passes per 90, compared to Modric who completed 7.21 progressive passes per 90 this season. 

Each of them are some of the most progressive passers we have ever seen and even towards the end of their careers they are still putting up elite numbers in this aspect. 

Iniesta slightly has the edge on completed passes that enter the final third with 9.01 per 90, compared with 7.70 from Modric. 

Iniesta once again has the edge when it comes to completed short passes, but the Croatian midfielder actually comes out on top when we compare their long passing stats.  

Modric completes 10.4 long passes per 90 with a success of 78.8%, compared to Iniesta with 7.34 long passes per 90 with a success of 70.3%. 

This is also a result of each team's style of play as Real Madrid tend to switch the ball more than Barcelona. 

Although it is interesting to note that the stats back up Iniesta as the better progressive short passer, while Modric edges him out when it comes to switching the play and completed long passes. 

The Spanish midfielder also has the advantage when it comes to completing passes whilst under pressure from the opposition. 

Iniesta completes 15.3 passes whilst under pressure per 90, compared to the 10.5 of Modric. 

The Croatian midfielder does have the advantage when it comes to goal contributions though, in La Liga this season Modric has two goals and eight assists compared to Iniesta’s one goal and two assists in his final season. 

 

Dribbling 

Iniesta is regarded as one of the best dribblers of his generation and so it’s no surprise to see him coming out on top in this category. 

Iniesta averaged 2.1 successful dribbles per 90, compared to Modric who averages 1.1 per 90. 

As Iniesta tended to dribble more, he also drew more fouls throughout the season.  

Iniesta was fouled 1.3 times per 90 and Modric is fouled 1.1 times per 90. 

 

Defensive contributions 

Neither Modric or Iniesta are known for their defensive capabilities, but it is another interesting point of comparison. 

With Barcelona, Iniesta was averaging 0.9 tackles per 90, which is slightly more than Modric with 0.6. 

However, Modric does have the slight upper hand when it comes to interceptions as he makes 0.7 on average compared to Iniesta with just 0.3 

There's no doubting that these two players are two of the greatest of their generation and the stats certainly back that up, even towards the end of their careers.