RAKITIC VS MODRIC

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RAKITIC VS MODRIC 

         Barcelona and Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic had 3 assists in the first half of a Copa Del Rey match against Cultural Leonesa (6 total on the season), achieving his first career hat trick of assists in only 29 minutes and to three different players, none of which are regular Barcelona starters (Munir, Denis Suarez, Malcolm). This happened on the same day his Croatian compatriot Luka Modric won the Ballon D'or.
      Ivan was summarily substituted at half time of the match, sending us all to wonder if his appearance was based solely on his contract (which says he must appear every match) OR his intense desire to prove he's as worthy as Modric? 
       And so, we play the comparison game between the two and it's tight in most respects.
       WHO IS BETTER? 


       RAKITIC OR MODRIC?
       We go deep:

 - Rakitic with his first hat trick of assists this season 
-Modric has never had more than 2 assists in a match
+3 IVAN

 - Rakitic has scored in a UCL Final but only won 1 
+2 IVAN 

 - Luka Modric has won 4, assisting goals in two of them including Ramos's heart stopping added time equalizer in the 2014 final 
+5 LUKA

 - both were crucial to Croatian World Cup success 
+2 LUKA & IVAN

 - Rakitic scored in the 2018 World cup and also hit the post in the same match in which he scored (vs Argentina), he then scored in Euro 2016 and hit the post which created the match winning goal against Germany in the Euro 2008 group stages.  He also had an assist in the 2014 World Cup.
+4 IVAN 

 - Rakitic missed the crucial penalty vs Turkey in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals shootout loss
-2 IVAN

 -Modric missed a crucial penalty in extra time of the 2018 World Cup quarterfinals vs Russia and they still won
-1 LUKA

 - Rakitic led Sevilla to a Europa League final victory in 2014, beckoning his transfer that summer to Barcelona
+3 IVAN

 -Modric was Tottenham's secondary talisman to Gareth Bale during the White Hart Lane / Aaron Lennon / Redknapp days and was a club legend, ushering in his purchase by Real Madrid
+2 LUKA

 - Modric has scored in the World cup, two European championships and registered an assist in every tournament he's played in (barring Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup)
+3 LUKA 

 -Modric wins the Ballon D'or and Golden Ball at the World Cup, both in 2018
+3 LUKA


 I'd say they're both extremely good, with Modric barely having the edge due to playing more tournaments  (2006 World Cup-2018 World Cup, Rakitic's first was Euro 2008) and assisting in those tournaments although Rakitic has been extremely unlucky not to have equaled that. 
     The question of which is better may best be saved for when Rakitic's career ends, with Ivan having a golden chance at Barcelona to come close to, or equal Modric's Champions league victories.
PLEASE 
TELL US WHICH CROATIAN MIDFIELDER YOU PREFER AND WHY 

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