At 36, Croatian midfielder Luka Modric is still bossing around the midfield for Real Madrid in the La Liga. He is closing in on a decade for the Los Blancos and is surely among their greatest players in modern football. On Tuesday, the midfield maestro will take the field to play against Manchester City in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semifinals in a bid to lead them to a final in Europe's top club competition for the first time since 2018. However, they are currently a goal behind City, having lost the first leg 4-3.
Speaking on a virtual media meet with Sony Sports, former Liverpool goalkeeper David James was quick to equate Modric to a young midfielder, given the energy and technical ability that the midfielder exudes in his game. "When you look at Luka Modric, when you watch him play he looks like he is 25-years-old. This guy gets everywhere, he is cool under pressure. He makes the right decisions. There is just this air (about him)," James exclaimed.
Madrid have 13 European trophies in their cabinet, the most by any team ever. But the star goalkeeper, who has also played in the Indian Super League (ISL) with Kerala Blasters FC, dismissed the historical significance of their success in the Champions League, and instead appreciated the pedigree of their current stars.
"Real Madrid are an interesting team. The history is there, but I think you have a group of players who just want to win. They have a lot of recent history... When you look at that current squad with the likes of (Karim) Benzema and Modric, (Thibaut) Courtois, there are enough players in that squad that have the experience of winning the champions league, and they are good enough to continue winning the champions league," said James.
With a win under their belt, James expects Manchester City to win the prestigious trophy soon, if not this time around, "With Manchester City, there is this frustration that they have not won the Champions League but they have not had the pedigree of Real Madrid over the years. So there will be a time when Manchester City will be expected to win these trophies regularly if they keep going in the direction that they are. I think now with so much focus on the league with Manchester City only."
He also believes that their elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Premier League rivals Liverpool will bode well for Pep Guardiola's men, "They are possibly in the best position that they could be. Without the distraction of the FA Cup being there as well. I say distraction because you look at the suspensions and injuries that they have had compared to Liverpool. So Manchester City's focus on the Champions League becomes a little bit more acute which might go in their favour."
Where to watch:
Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 (Semi Final Leg 2) - Real Madrid vs. Man. City LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 5th May 2022, from 12:30 am IST.
