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Messi is GOAT but Modric deserves 2018 FIFA Best award – Rakitic

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Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric

Barcelona midfielder, Ivan Rakitic has backed his Croatian teammate, Luka Modric, to win the 2018 FIFA Best Player of the Year award.

Modric, who won the Golden Ball at the Russia World Cup and the UEFA Player of the Year title, will be battling his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah for the FIFA award.

Rakitic believes that although Lionel Messi remains the best in the world and can even be tagged as the greatest of all time (GOAT) in the sport, Modric deserves to be crowned the best this year for the impacts he has made.

Speaking ahead of Croatia’s Nations League clash against Spain on Tuesday, Rakitic told reporters that there are seasons that a player can be better than usual, and for Modric, 2017/2018 has been it.

Read Also: Exclusion from FIFA shortlist ‘takes nothing away’ from Messi – Suarez

“For me in general the best player of the world and maybe the greatest of all time is Leo Messi. It’s easy, you take a boy, and nine of 10 boys are gonna say the same,” said Rakitic.

“But I think it was the year of Luka, sincerely, I think it’s something that Leo and all the people know, he [Modric] deserves all the awards.

“Sincerely if he received the award of the best European player… I don’t know what he has to do to be the best player of the world, with all he did.

“I don’t need to help him as a good friend of him as I’m, he made everything on himself, nobody gave him anything. For me it’s clear that he has to be Luka [for The Best award].”

The FIFA Best awards ceremony will take place on September 24, 2018.

 

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