Luka Modric and Toni Kroos’ contributions and dedication to Real Madrid are a blessing. For nearly ten years, the pair has controlled the action in the Merengues’ midfield, and they still put on faultless performances today.
But out of the two, the Croatian is the one who merits more praise. Despite being 37 years old, the veteran still rules the middle of the park with a grace and poise unmatched by anyone else.
This week, Canadian international and FC Porto player Stephen Estuaqio discussed why he thought Luka Modric was a special player. To support his claim, Estuaqio compared Modric to Kevin de Bruyne.
“I defended De Bruyne, but I trailed Modric. I was unable to compete with him. He rules the game and has total control over everything, which is absurd. It served as a lesson for me, he said on YouTube’s The 90th Minute.
Real Madrid hopes to extend his contract by one year in June because it expires after the upcoming season. Though it is difficult to imagine him staying past the upcoming season, his impending departure will signal the end of an era at the team.
Thus, Modric might have a different role come the following season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham, on the way, the seasoned player might transition into a mentoring role with sporadic appearances in significant matches.
However, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as a pillar of the team this year and start the maestro in the crucial games that are coming up later this month.
Modric, who is 37 years old, has made 24 La Liga appearances so far this season, starting 16 of them. He has generated eight significant opportunities with an average of 1.8 key passes per game, four goals, three assists, and three big chances.
Endrick Felipe denied opportunity to visit Spain for first time since Real Madrid move
There has been a lot of anticipation surrounding Endrick’s impending arrival ever since it was announced that he would be joining Real Madrid in December.
Since the deal was announced, the 16-year-old has had difficulties and hasn’t scored in those months. He had hoped to take a break from domestic football later this month, but Barcelona target Vitor Roque and he were both named to Brazil’s U20 squad for three friendlies in Spain.
Endrick would have traveled to the nation for the first time since the announcement of his transfer to Real Madrid, but he will not be going because Palmeiras reportedly kicked him out of the team, according to Diario AS.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed, the Brazilian team is said to have a “very compressed” schedule of matches, which prevents them from releasing him for international duty.
If Endrick had made the trip, Real Madrid most likely would have taken advantage of the chance to watch him in action. They will need to wait to see their potential star.