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MODRIC NAMED THIRD BEST PLAYMAKER

Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has been named the thread best playmaker of the decade according to the list compiled by the International institute of Football History and Statistics (IIFHS). The decade under review from the IIFHS was from 2011 to 2020. Luka Modric is the Croatian national team skipper and he has been named the third best playmaker from the last decade from 2011 to 2020. Luka Modric finished third behindthe Barcelona legendary duo of Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi. For the fifth time, Argentine international playmaker has been named the best.


Barcelona hitman Lionel Messi previously won the award in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 before the latest announcement that he has won the award for 2021. In addition to winning the playmaker award five times, Lionel Messi has been named second on four occasions. The Barcelona Academy graduate came second in 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2020. Barcelona legends Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi played together for many years before the former left to sign for Vissel Kobe FC in the Asian country of Japan. Iniesta previously won the playmaker award twice in 2012 and 2013. Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne and Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos completed the top five for the IIFHS playmaker award. Keep Reading

MODRIC IN MENTORSHIP ROLE FOR PLAYER

 

Journalist Carlos Forjanes of Spanish newspaper AS recently revealed that Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is using veteran player Luka Modric in a mentorship role for hot prospect Martin Odegaard at the club. Zidane has a lot of faith in Odegaard who’s back at the club this season after a successful spell at Real Sociedad last term.


Martin Odegaard was given a start in the first game of the season for Real Madrid, an away game at the home of surprise league leaders Real Sociedad. The Norwegian international couldn’t do much about the match which ended in a goalless draw.His Real Madrid progress was stopped by an injury recently but the 21-year-old has returned to action. Keep Reading

BALE IS EXTRAORDINARY – LUKA MODRIC

 

Luka Modric as spoken up on the controversial move of Gareth Bale to Tottenham. The Welshman completed a loan move during the final hours of the recent transfer window. This move was finally made after a reportedly troubled relationship with the coach and management of real Madrid. Gareth Bale who recently disclosed that Jose Mourinho was the reason behind his loan move was described as extraordinary by his former team-mate.

Modric said he has spent a lot of time with the winger, almost his entire career. He fondly remembered they played together for four years at Spurs before spending almost double of that at the Spanish capital. Modric says Bale is an amazing person.
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MADRID TO RECALL ODEGAARD TO REPLACE MODRIC

There are rife reports in Sociedad that their star midfielder Martin Odegaard would be recalled by Real Madrid to replace the aging Luka Modric this summer. The youngster was due to stay at the La Liga side as a loanee for one more season based on the two-term agreement with Madrid. However, Zinedine Zidane has decided to bring the player back to the Bernabeu as part of his rebuilding effort.

The Norwegian player impressed this season, scoring seven times and assisting eight goal in 28 games. Madrid plan to integrate him as part of rebuilding effort and it could start this summer. The fans are excited that the player could play for the club for many years as he is only 21. He was the poster boy for a rising star that got lost in loan deals after impressing in the early years of his career.
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JUVENTUS ON TO RAKITIC

Italian giants Juventus are believed to be gunning for the signature of Ivan Rakitic before the January transfer window closes.

Croatia internationals at the top of Spanish football are not having the best of times. Mateo Kovacic already left Real Madrid in the summer after it became known to him that he was surplus to requirements while the younger ones coming through the youth ranks and expensive deals between South American clubs and Los Blancos were definitely going to be given a chance.

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Modric No More a Full-Proof Starter for Real

The holder of Ballon d’Or on the bench, it has been a little more than a month until we discover who is going to be the next footballer for 2019 in the world. Till then, Luka Modric is going to be the holder of the award. However, it cannot be said that he is the sure-fire starter anymore under Zinedine Zidane.

Amongst the three ‘Clasico midfielders Casemiro and Kroos remain in the starting XI of Zidane without any doubt. Nevertheless, Modric has seen the grip on the third position of midfielder slip away. He did come on for the last thirty minutes in the match against Leganes. Yet, the score was 3-0 and the opposition has started thinking about the weekend. The substitution seems to have been made so that Kroos could get some rest instead of anything else.

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RECAP OF CELTA VIGO VS REAL MADRID

Coming into the new season, there were all sort of problems for Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane. pre-season had displayed a growing problem that the team has faced in the past two seasons, which was the lack of motivation and hunger.

Defeats to Atletico Madrid and Juventus had shown that the team was setting up for disaster this season, alongside the well-documented problems with Gareth Bale. The Welsh ace was rumoured to be closing in on a move to China with presidentFlorentino Perez pulling the plugs off the move in the last minute.

This was the backdrop of the team going into the game at Baladois against one of the tough opponents for any team away from home Celta Vigo.

However, when the chips were down, Real Madrid were able o come out trumps winning a grueling contest by 3-1. This was not the typical 3-1 victory, but a hard-fought game which was determined by teamwork in defence and individual brilliance in the attack.

Bale who has been maligned all summer came out of the block fastest and showed why he is a world-class player. Showing his famed acceleration, he sped past the Celta Vigo right back to place a sumptuous low drive for Benzema to finish.

Celta Vigo equalized at the end of the first half and the scores was tied heading to the break. However, the game would change with the sending off of Luka Modric early in the second half. Modric had been caught stamping on a player after a VAR review and was issued a red card.

This brought the best out of Madrid with Courtois making a vital save before Kroos scored a contender of the goal of the season. Lucas Vasquez made the game safe with a late finish to secure all three points for the Galacticos.

REAL MADRID TO SELL BALON D’ OR WINNER

Real Madrid are reportedly contemplating the sale of Croatia international Luka Modric as part of their summer clearout. According to Spanish tabloid AS Madrid boss, Zinedine Zidane has put his approval on a transfer for the flamboyant midfielder.

The 33-year-old has been an ever-present in the starting line-up but has been ineffective this season. The current Balon d’Or winner has struggled to display the form that has seen him become one of the best midfielders in the past few seasons.

Modric has been a vital cog in the Madrid squad that has achieved successes in the past five seasons alongside Toni Kroos in the midfield. He has enjoyed a trophy-laden career at the Bernabeu winning four Champions League titles as well as theLiga BBVA title.

He was also awarded the best player at the 2018 FIFA World Cup where he led Croatia to their first appearance in the final.

However, at 33 he is in the twilight of his career and Zidane is looking to rebuild ahead of next season and wants players in their prime.  The likes of Christian Ericksen and Paul Pogba have been linked to the club as possible replacements for the Croat.

It is understood that Zidane has met the Modric in which he revealed to him that he is not part of his plans for next season.  Madrid have already moved to sign Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt and Eden Hazard is expected to be on his way from Chelsea/

Inter Milan are favourites to sign the midfielder with the Italian side coming close last summer to securing a transfer.

 Inter Milan have already confirmed the signing of Atletico Madrid captain Diego Godin and Modric would be a decent signing for the club.

However, there could be other twist and turns that could occur between now and the end of the transfer window.

MADRID STAR SET FOR EXIT AFTER AJAX SNUB

Real Madrid playmaker Isco is on his way out of the club in the summer according to reports from Spain. Marca reports that Isco was furious when he learnt that he had missed the cut ahead of Real Madrid’s infamous clash at home to Ajax.

According to the report the 26-year-oldfailed to board the team bus and failed to show up in the dressing room before and after the clash. Madrid lost by 4-1 to crash out of the Champions League for the first time in four seasons.

The defeat appears to have sealed coach Santiago Solari’s fate as this was the culmination of three successive home defeats in the space of a week. Isco had fallen out of favour with Solari and had not started a single league game since the Argentine took over in October.

Isco is interested in leaving Madrid and has instructed his agent to begin looking for potential clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.

It is understood that several clubs are monitoring the situation and looking to bid for the midfielder in the summer. Liverpool is believed to be mulling a transfer offer for the player as the club have lacked a creative midfielder since the departure of Phillipe Coutinho to Barcelona last season.

Big Money signing Naby Keita has failed to sparkle this season and Klopp wants the Spaniard as he looks to strengthen the squad in the summer.

AC Milan have also been linked with the player but any move would depend on whether the club can make the Champions League at the end of the season.

There is still a chance that he could remain at Madrid if a new coach comes in the summer. However, all signs lead to a summer exit for the talented midfielder.

MADRID’S LA LIGA STRUGGLE CONTINUES

Real Madrid’s struggles in La Liga this season can be put down to various factors but one very obvious reason behind their weakness in the Spanish top flight have been their struggles in front of goal.

The Spanish giants managed to defeat Real Betis 2-1 at the Benito Villamarin on Sunday night with a last-gasp victory secured, thanks to long range efforts from World Cup finalist Luka Modric and Dani Ceballos. Again, manager Santiago Solari had to rely on individual brilliance for victory.

Real managed just 26.3% of the possession in Seville with Betis claiming 73.6% of the possession. Betis were in total control of the game bossing the engine room as Modric was left chasing shadows throughout the match.

Once again, Solari had no place for Isco in the starting lineup as the midfielder settled for a place on the bench igniting further speculations the Spaniard is on his way out of Spain.

Solari finished the game with a forward line consisting of the 19 year old Brahim Diaz, 21 year old Cristo Gonzalez and 18 year old Vinicius Junior, a far cry from what we have become used to seeing at the Spanish club over the years.

While this attack might be one for the future, it is certainly not good enough for the present.

Real Madrid are just being punished for their failure to sign a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo who departed Madrid for Turin in the summer. Gareth Bale and Marco Asensio are both out with long-term injuries.

Karim Benzema is also sidelined with a minor injury to his finger and Lucas Vazquez is suspended after seeing red in their last game. Luka Modric will be looking to step up for the Spanish giants as they continue to flounder this season. The Croatian certainly has what it takes.