MADRID, 10 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Croatian Luka Modric will wear white, at least, until June 2023, after Real Madrid announced that the midfielder, on his way to 37 years old, extends his contract for one more season, after the best course of the ’10’ in Chamartín , completing a legendary campaign that has made Madrid fans fall in love, even more so.
Key in achieving the fourteenth European Cup, in the year in which he has reached 400 games and won his 201st title with Real Madrid, we review ten moments in which Modric has shone in an unforgettable campaign for the Croatian.
1. A physical miracle.
Despite the fact that he will turn 37 in September, this season has seen a Modric with the best physical point. The midfielder has only missed seven games due to injury, taking into account that almost half of them were due to the coronavirus and a flu process. An injury to the adductors in the already distant August 2021 prevented him from playing three games, off the pitch for 21 days, the longest time he was out this year.
Modric alluded after the umpteenth comeback in the Champions League this year to the so-called ‘Pintus method’ – alluding to Real Madrid’s physical trainer, Antonio Pintus – as one of the keys to his great physical condition. The Croatian is the sixth outfield player with the most minutes played (close to 3,500) this season.
2. Reaches 400 matches as a madridista.
This season he has also entered the prestigious club of players who have worn the Real Madrid shirt at least 400 times (there are only 20 players with this record). And Modric reached this figure in the Clásico against FC Barcelona last October, which ended with a white victory (1-2). He now has 436 games, after playing 45 games, the 2012-2013 campaign being the one in which he played the most games (53).
3. Determinant in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.
Already in 2022, Real Madrid was one of the participants in the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia and Luka Modric did not want to miss the appointment. The Croatian completed an excellent tournament that put the finishing touch in the final against Athletic Club, converting the 1-0 with an exquisite definition of the house, impossible for the ‘lions’ goalkeeper, with a direct shot to the square after a delicate hit with the interior.
4. Great goal against Real Sociedad in the League.
But Luka Modric had another ‘delicatessen’ stored in the bedroom. On matchday 27 of the League, against Real Sociedad, the winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2018 received a ball in front of him and after his famous dance without touching the ball to fake and deceive the rival, he adjusted the ball to his left leg , with which he made a tremendous hit, placed and powerful, directly to the top corner, putting the 2-1 on the scoreboard.
5. Crucial in the comeback against PSG.
The Whites were one goal away from leveling the tie against the Parisians, after Mbappé’s goal at the Bernabéu and the first for Benzema’s meringues after putting pressure on goalkeeper Donnarumma. Then, Modric dressed as a hero to recover a ball in front of his own area and run 40 meters with the ball stuck to his boots, leaving rivals on the way. Unstoppable, the Croatian gave a pass into space to Vinicius, who after caracoleing returned the ball, so that it was the ’10’ who assisted the Frenchman, causing madness at the Bernabéu, who would experience the first European comeback of the course.
6. Implausible assistance with the outside.
Already in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and with 0-3 against Chelsea, Real Madrid needed a goal to stay alive and send the game to extra time. With 10 minutes remaining for the final whistle, Modric took out his wand and invented a pass with the outside towards Rodrygo that he only seemed to see himself on the pitch, with other more affordable pass options. The Brazilian transformed the assistance in the race and at the first touch, to mark the way for a new comeback.
7. Two sprints that lifted the Bernabeu.
Proof of this high physical performance were two plays that Real Madrid fans will remember very well. In the round of 16 against PSG, the Croatian didn’t think twice about running behind Messi in a counterattack led by the Argentine, passing the midfield line, throwing himself to the ground and cutting off the attack. A demonstration of speed that he would repeat in the semi-final second leg against Manchester City, when thanks to a powerful sprint close to the wing he stole a ball from De Bruyne -six years younger- by lifting the stands.
8. He has achieved his best assist data in a season.
His highly influential performance during this course is also reflected in the data. The Croatian has given 12 assists this season, the best figure of his entire career as a professional, after in his last season at Dinamo Zagreb he distributed 11 goal passes.
9. With the ‘Decimocuarta’ there are already 20 titles in 10 years.
Modric is part, after winning his fifth Champions League final in Paris against Liverpool, of a legendary generation along with Benzema, Kroos, Casemiro, Marcelo, Carvajal, Nacho and Bale, all of them with five ‘Orejonas’. That fourteenth European Cup meant the Croatian’s 20th title with the Real Madrid shirt in his ten years as a Real Madrid player.
10. Modric will complete at least his eleventh season as a Real Madrid player.
On June 8, Real Madrid announced the extension of Modric’s contract until 2023, so the Croatian will be a white footballer, at least, until 2023, playing his eleventh season at the club, already as a legend and part of the team’s history merengue, thanks to his attitude, commitment and talent.
