Guille Uzquiano An unbeatable Madrid in the finals
0-2 against Athletic When the Rey Fahd stadium looked like the Bernabéu
Opinion The White Turban
Carlo Ancelotti "My footballers don't think they're handsome, because they're not"
In 2018,
Luka Modric
(Zadar, 1985) won his fourth Champions League, played in the World Cup final as captain of Croatia and was the favorite to win his first Ballon d'Or. For a boy raised in the tiny town of Zaton Obrovacki between the bombs of the Balkan War, football had broken through any ceiling it could have imagined. What could there be after all that? Accept Inter Milan's offer and try your luck in another league? Sign a multi-million dollar contract in an exotic championship? The answer was found by Modric himself in the press room of the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on the night of Sunday, January 16, 2022, the date on which he lifted his 18th title with Real Madrid. "I am enjoying myself like never before."
Because there comes a time in the career of any athlete that after the effort to reach the elite, the sacrifice to stay, the fight to win and the pressure to keep winning, only love remains. Modric loves football and soccer, reciprocating, he loves Modric. If not, it would not be possible to understand that at 36 years old, the age at which
Andrés Iniesta
,
Xavi Hernández
or
Andrea Pirlo
had packed their bags for quieter tournaments or others, such as
Zinedine Zidane
, had already retired, Luka keep the number ' 10', the stripes, the minutes and the helm of Real Madrid.
The midfielder's last display came in the Arabian desert.
He received a soft ball from
Rodrygo
and stamped the ball to the left of
Unai Simón
to make it 0-1 that put the final against Athletic on track.
He ran towards the corner with his eyes closed and his head towards the sky of Riyadh, and opened his arms to welcome his teammates.
Therein lies another detail that makes the Croatian's success better understood: he does not want to be the protagonist.
"I don't like to talk about myself. Let others talk," he repeats.
It was his first goal of the season, one at the right time and place, in front of a crowd that couldn't stop chanting "Lu-ka! Lu-ka!".
By first name, like geniuses.
"The club knows my wish"
Modric has shown a level that was not part of Madrid's plans. It is so. Beyond the rumors and negotiations about his possible departure to Inter in the summer of 2018, the Chamartín team has been signing or promoting players with the aim of replacing the Croatian when he steps aside:
Marcos Llorente
,
Martin Odegaard
and
Fede Valverde
came from the reserve team, his compatriot
Mateo Kovacic
landed for 38 million from Inter,
Dani Ceballos
for 16.5 from Betis, now
Eduardo Camavinga
for 31... Some await their opportunity in the shadow of 10' and others They left, impatient.
Now, five months from the end of his contract, Madrid will have to sit down again with Modric, with whom he has maintained his policy of renewing those over 30 year after year. He wants to continue and the Madrid board, forced by the performance on the grass and in love with her star, she will make up for her football. "I have never taken more than two minutes to sign," Luka recalled on Sunday. There are no doubts about his future. He will put his name on the contract sometime in the coming months, without the rush or innuendo that awkward negotiations demand, and he will turn 37 dressed in white. "The club knows my wish."
Beyond his good physical condition (he is the eighth player on the squad with the most minutes) and his obvious talent, there is one detail that helps keep Modric's Madridista flame alive: his family, fully adapted to life in the capital. Their children
Ivano
,
Ema
and
Sofia
, these last two born in Spain, usually play on the pitch at the Bernabéu after their father's matches.
The last time, after the December 12 derby against Atlético.
The three of them passed the ball and scored over the north end goal while they waited for Luka to come out of the locker room.
The two eldest, eleven and eight years old, love football, something logical after having seen their father lift almost every possible title.
He is missing a World Cup, an almost impossible challenge for his beloved Croatia, but wearing his country's shirt one last time at the World Cup in Qatar is Modric's ultimate dream.
Meanwhile, "enjoying".
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