Phillip Lahm has said that the midfield trio of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne can be compared to the legendary trident of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
In his column for the Guardian, the former Bayern Munich right-back centred his column around Manchester City’s treble-winning skipper.
Philipp Lahm went on to liken Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne as a partnership to that of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
Philipp Lahm compares Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne trio to Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric
Branded as a ‘legend’ by Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan’s exit seemingly sparked this conversation, after he left the Etihad Stadium on a high after winning the lot.
Alongside his partners-in-crime in the middle of the park, the Sky Blues asserted their dominance both domestically and in Europe, with each midfielder cementing their status as an all-time great.
However, Philipp Lahm has gone as far as to put the midfield trio of Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan and Kevin De Bruyne in the same bracket as Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
“The midfield with him [Ilkay Gundogan], Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne can be mentioned in the same breath as that of Real Madrid with Casemiro, Toni Kroos and [Luka] Modric in their heyday.”
Philipp Lahm has a point
In all fairness, Philipp Lahm has not made the comparison between the City trident and Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in terms of their achievements as trios.
If that was the criteria, the Real Madrid trident would blow the Manchester City midfield out of the water.
But on pure quality alone, the Sky Blues partnership can be mentioned in the same breath, as they proved during a treble-winning season; an accomplishment Los Blancos are yet to achieve as a club that they possessed every attribute that constitutes the perfect midfield.
