There are some debates in football that divide fans right down the middle.The one that has dominated the 21st century is the perennial Lionel Messi or Cristinao Ronaldo debate. In terms of midfielders, meanwhile, fans have generally argued over Barcelona's legendary midfield duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi. However, Luka Modric's stunning career at Real Madrid has brought him into that conversation. The 35-year-old has been a key cog in a trophy-laden era for Los Blancos era that has seen them dominate the Champions League, winning the competition four times since Modric signed from Tottenham Hotspur.On the international stage, Modric helped Croatia to a shock World Cup final in 2018 and won the Ballon d'Or during the same year for his achievements with both club and country. And in light of his masterclass display against Atalanta on Tuesday night, plenty of fans took to social media to label him as better than Iniesta. For stoic supporters of the Catalonian club, the mere suggestion that any midfielder - with the exception of Xavi, of course - of this generation ranks above Iniesta is in the realm of blasphemy. That Modric has cultivated his reputation while playing for Barcelona's fiercest domestic rivals only adds fuel to the fire. His performance during Real's 3-1 win over Atalanta truly was a joy to behold and has since been condensed into a captivating highlights reel which spans just shy of three minutes.

Modric's masterclass in midfield playmaking generated plenty of hype on Twitter.

The diminutive technician has spent much of his career alongside Toni Kroos, and Real's iconic midfield axis were labelled better than Xavi and Iniesta by one fan.

That's quite a claim in itself, and one that is bound to be a divisive talking point on par with Messi and Ronaldo. 

Speaking of the most revered duo in 21st century football, another fan argued that Messi and Ronaldo are the only players to have surpassed Modric in the last 15 years.

Elsewhere, Iniesta was accused of being a 'tiki taka merchant', while two fans pointed out that the Spaniard was playing for Vissel Kobe in Japan aged 35.

At the same age, Modric continues to run the midfield in Champions League knockout fixtures. 

Iniesta has won nine La Liga titles during his career and, like Modric, won the Champions League on four separate occasions.

There's also the small matter of Iniesta's World Cup-winning goal in 2010 to weigh up in the debate between two of the most complete midfield maestros of our time. 

Who gets your vote?