“He is the best in the world, but…” – Miguel Indurain praises Tadej Pogacar while stopping short of GOAT claim

Tadej Pogacar’s 2026 season is already drifting beyond dominance and into something more historically loaded. Victory at Milano-Sanremo finally ticked off the Monument that had long resisted him, leaving Paris-Roubaix as the final Monument gap in a palmares that is rapidly starting to resemble one of the sport’s most complete ever.

With a fifth Tour de France now firmly on his agenda this summer, a result that would draw him level with Miguel Indurain, the comparisons to cycling’s greatest names are no longer theoretical. They are immediate. And when Indurain himself is asked the question, the response carries weight.

Speaking to RMC Sport, the five-time Tour winner did not hesitate when assessing Pogacar’s current level, placing him firmly at the top of the modern sport while acknowledging the scale of what he is attempting.

“He is very strong. He is building a very great palmares, he puts on a show, with great duels against Jonas Vingegaard and Mathieu van der Poel. He will already try to win his fifth Tour de France. He is obviously the big favourite, and I imagine he will go all in.”

It is a view that aligns with what Pogacar has shown so far this season. His long-range demolition at Strade Bianche and his decisive move on the Cipressa at Milano-Sanremo underline a rider still operating on instinct as much as control, continuing to attack races rather than manage them.

That approach has not only brought results but reinforced his standing as the sport’s most complete rider, capable of winning across Grand Tours and Monuments in a way rarely seen in the modern era.

Yet when the conversation shifts from dominance to legacy, Indurain draws a clear distinction. “It’s difficult. He is the best rider in the world currently. In the future, he will be one of the greatest, but there have been great names in cycling: Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault; they are legends. But he is building a very fine palmares.”

That hesitation is not dismissal. It is perspective. Pogacar may already be the defining rider of his generation, but the benchmark Indurain points to remains rooted in the sport’s deepest history. Names such as Merckx and Hinault are not simply part of the conversation, they are the standard it must be measured against.

For now, Pogacar is closing in on that territory rather than occupying it. Milano-Sanremo has brought him closer to a complete Monument set, while the Tour de France presents the opportunity to match one of the most enduring records in the sport.

Whether that is enough to shift the debate remains to be seen. But as Indurain’s words make clear, even in the face of modern dominance, cycling’s highest tier is not handed out lightly.