Legendary Brazilian right-back Cafu asserted that he preferred Jordan Henderson of Liverpool to Luka Modric.
Next month, when Liverpool plays Real Madrid in the Champions League, Henderson and Modric will likely cross paths once more. TNT Sports Brazil requested Cafu to rate the players of the two teams against one another in advance of the match.
Unexpectedly, Cafu chose Courtois of Madrid over Alisson, a fellow countryman. Trent Alexander-Arnold was chosen over Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao was chosen over Ibrahima Konate.
Before Andy Robertson was chosen over Ferland Mendy, Virgil van Dijk defeated Antonio Rudiger. As the World Cup-winning skipper chose Fabinho over Eduardo Camavinga in this race, Liverpool maintained a lead.
The contentious one followed. A smile started to appear on Cafu’s face as he had to decide between Henderson and Modric. He chuckled a little before answering, “Henderson, without a doubt.” Quite done!
The 53-year-old chose every member of Liverpool’s ineffective midfield because Thiago was selected instead of Toni Kroos. It’s clear from his lack of viewing this season! Federico Valverde, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez were benched in favor of Mohamed Salah, Vinicius Junior, and Karim Benzema, who made up the rest of Cafu’s combined XI.
Henderson competing with the top
This comparison will likely seem absurd to many people who are reading it. One of the best midfielders of his generation, or arguably of all time, Modric is a five-time Champions League champion and Ballon d’Or winner.
Henderson frequently takes the blame for whatever loss Liverpool experiences, whether this is fair or not. Despite his talent, he is viewed by many as the epitome of a “workmanlike” midfielder.
But in actuality, Hendo has long maintained a position at the top of the field. Whether you like it or not, he has been the engine of one of the best teams Europe has ever seen. If you are a poor player, that does not occur.
Jurgen Klopp, on the other hand, is sure to rank him above Modric. The Croatian wouldn’t be a natural fit for Klopp’s “gegenpressing” approach.
His sense of sportsmanship also frequently lets him down as a player. Although his demeanor has always been praised, his encounters with Liverpool haven’t reflected this. We’d choose Henderson’s leadership over that kind of pettiness any day of the week, as evidenced by his recent criticism of Salah for losing the Champions League final the previous season.
Cafu’s decision to go with the captain of Liverpool over Madrid’s stalwart master is unknown to us. The fact that Croatia eliminated Brazil from the World Cup in December may have something to do with it. We concur, despite the cause.