Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu believes he is the best midfielder in the world

Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has stated his belief that he is the best midfielder in the world and he is better than Manchester City’s Rodri.

Calhanoglu has arguably been one of the best midfielders in Europe, while playing in a deep midfield role. He has been playing that role since Marcelo Brozovic was at the club last season but he has only grown in stature since then and he has been impressing in the last few weeks and more.

His performances in the role have only garnered attention recently and Calhanoglu spoke to DAZN (via La Gazzetta dello Sport) and he spoke about his role in the team and how he has grown with his skillset.

He said, while talking about the best midfielders in the world: “Fifth Enzo Fernandez, fourth Kimmich, third Kroos, second Rodri, first I. Why am I the best? Because I score goals, others don’t. If you look at the statistics, I never score from close range, but from 25-30 meters or from a free kick. These are difficult things. Then everyone is good at managing, but I don’t like making passes five meters away.”

He further stated: “This doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t improve because now the opponents will try to mark me man for man, like in the first half in Rome, when I was in difficulty. I have to make more space for myself and be more intelligent in these situations, but with Barella and Mkhitaryan helping me I will do it better and better.”

The trio of Calhanoglu, Nicolo Barella and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is thriving and they recently helped the side pick up a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid, as Barella impressed when Marko Arnautovic scored a winner.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN