Luka Modric: the oldest still fixes matches | Soccer | Sports

The first instruction that Luka Modric received before making his debut for Madrid in 2012 was to organize the attack and help stop Messi. “You are going to come out for Özil and play as a midfielder,” José Mourinho told him about to take the field in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Barcelona. “When Messi receives the ball on the right half of the field, he always runs towards the center. (Xabi) You and Alonso have to block his way there. In attack, take the ball and distribute it!” the Portuguese asked him, as the Croatian revealed in his autobiography.

The Argentine, at 37 years and four months, has long since settled into the quiet life of Miami while the Balkan, who this Saturday reached 39 years and 40 days, continues to crank. In Balaídos, it took Carlo Ancelotti seconds to resort to him as soon as the night went wrong. He appeared, provided the assist for Vinicius’ goal in the victory against Celta (1-2) and scored a personal record for history. The midfielder became the oldest player in the club’s history to play in a match, ahead of the myth Ferenc Puskas, who stopped his clock at 39 years and 36 days, on May 8, 1966, in the first leg of the Cup quarterfinals, at Villamarín against Betis. The third is Paco Buyo (38 years and 63 days).

“I don’t like being reminded of the years, but I am very proud to achieve this and continue at this age in the best club in the world,” thanked the Balkan, who is also the man with the most titles in the entity (27). “We have achieved three points thanks to a fantastic pass from Modric,” said Carletto. “Luka always contributes. It has entered a very complicated moment, control has changed and it has been very important. He is still a fantastic footballer even if he is not a child. He is a very calm man, with character,” described the Italian to the media, who reached 547 matches as a Real Madrid player. The one in Vigo was his 89th assist.

I don’t like being reminded of the years, but I am very proud to achieve this and continue at this age

Luka Modric

For at least two seasons now, a large part of Spain’s stadiums have been applauding him as if they were never going to see him again. But it always comes back. Just a year ago, the Croatian’s actions hit the bottom in Madrid, relegated to the bench after a decade as a starter, with a crooked nose — “I hate the feeling of not being important,” he admitted in his autobiography published in 2020 — and the sensation widespread – also within the club – that these could be his last months in Madrid.

That impression dominated almost the entire last season, until the time came to decide his future and Modric extended another campaign. His priority of continuing in the elite over golden retirements in the United States or the Persian Gulf, and the gap that the entity opened for him to renew paved the way for the signing.

Participation in all matches

With Modric, there is always another bonus track and, contrary to the belief of just a few months ago, circumstances have once again revalued it. The retirement of Toni Kroos (at 34 years old) and the difficulties demonstrated by the new midfield team led by young people to organize the release of the ball have made it clear that the Croatian is still a valid piece when it comes to lighting up the game. His age, the abrasive calendar and the entity’s commitment to the new batch have not made him a permanent starter again, but his weight has increased in the first two months of the competition, amid doubts about Madrid’s football. In a midfield dominated by physicality, his fine foot is still valid and Vigo was proof of this. “I feel good physically and mentally. I’m playing and that’s what I want,” he noted after his surgical pass to Vini.

So far this campaign, he has participated in all the events (13). In the past, however, at this point his loss of prominence was already visible, he did not hide his displeasure in Valdebebas’s day-to-day life and had left a message in the press in his country. “They told me that nothing would change in my status, and that’s why I signed,” he said about his 2023 renewal. His substitution at half-time in the Metropolitano defeat, at the end of September, made it clear that his life had changed.

I feel good physically and mentally. I’m playing and that’s what I want

Luka Modric

Ancelotti’s big priority was for Kroos to continue at the wheel, but that did not happen and in the squad he has left he has not yet found much more certainty to distribute the game than the Balkan, who has not said enough about the national team either. There, less than two years before the 2026 World Cup, its hierarchy remains untouchable. In the last window, he has completed the two games against Scotland and Poland, as almost always.

In Puskas’ final match, the chronicles had no mercy with him: “He is a shadow with a lot of guts,” he wrote. Brand. Cañoncito Pum was part of the group of substitutes that Madrid sent to Villamarín for the cup match (3-2 loss) while the starters flew to Brussels, where three days later they had to play the final of what would end up being the sixth European Cup of the club. This Saturday, in Balaídos, Modric was the first resource to fix the mess. Except for the unforeseen, back in spring, the Croatian and the club will talk about his future again. In autumn, for now, the wisdom of the oldest continues to resolve games.