Granit Xhaka, a midfielder for Arsenal, has nothing but praise for Luka Modric, a former star for Tottenham Hotspur.
In the FIFA The Best voting, Xhaka chose to support Modric because he thought the Croatian was the second-best player in the world in 2017.
He positioned Kylian Mbappe between Lionel Messi and the Croatian, holding the latter in very high regard.
The World Cup's statistics focused on the two forwards, and the Argentine eventually won the overall prize.
However, after making a name for himself with Real Madrid and Croatia, Xhaka was moved by Modric's class to cast his vote.
They both play in the same position, so that might have influenced his decision-making.
This season, Xhaka has been outstanding and appears to have been influenced by Modric.
Karim Benzema, Messi, and Mbappe joined the 37-year-old in the top three, leaving him just outside the top three.
The Ballon d'Or winner appears to be continuing to play well into his old age.
Just a few months ago, Modric assisted Croatia in finishing third in Qatar.
When he left the Spurs in 2012, Gary Neville mentioned how much he had improved.
Since then, he has won several times in both La Liga and the Champions League.
It shows a great deal of respect that Xhaka voted for Modric considering that forwards typically dominate individual football awards.
Despite never playing each other at the club level, shortly after Modric left Tottenham, the two did compete twice for their respective countries.
Nearly two years ago, they faced off in two international friendlies, with the Arsenal player winning both games.
More than ten years ago, as his international career was just getting underway, Xhaka scored a goal against Modric's Croatian team.
At that level, the two have both been excellent servants, though Modric has experienced greater success.
When he cast his vote for Modric, Xhaka put his club allegiances aside.
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