“It’s difficult to stop him because he’s an amazing player; I see him still playing three, four more years on such a high level”- Mateo Kovacic on Luka Modric ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Real Madrid at Champions League 2021-22
Follow Us
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic showered praise on Real Madrid star and his fellow compatriot, Luka Modric, claiming that he “can play three or four more years at the same level” after a sparkling display against the Blues in the Champions League 2021-22 last week.
Modric, 36, was at his imperious best alongside Casemiro and Toni Kroos in the heart of Real Madrid’s midfield, with striker Karim Benzema hitting a hat-trick in a 3-1 win that puts Carlo Ancelotti’s side on course for the semi-finals.
Kovacic was a second-half substitute at Stamford Bridge and thus, was able to see Modric’s performance. Interestingly, he is quite certain that his Croatian international team-mate can play at the top level for a while yet.
What did Mateo Kovacic say about Luka Modric, Real Madrid’s midfield maestro?
When asked about the difficulties of facing Modric, Kovacic admitted: “It is quite difficult to stop him. He is an amazing player. He’s Croatian, I admired him when I was a child. He played for my favourite club, Dinamo Zagreb. We are friends so I admire him more. I am looking forward to playing against him tomorrow.
Asked what it was like to come up against Modric, Kovacic said: “It was nice and also difficult because we were losing and it is never nice when you are losing a game and you have a hard time.
Calling him an “amazing player,” Kovacic further stated that he has admired Modric since his childhood when the 36-year-old used to play for his “favorite club,” Dinamo Zagreb.
“But it was nice to see him and to play against him. I always preferred to have him on my team but in this moment we are against each other and we are ready to show our best tomorrow and to try to go through. It’s difficult to stop him because he’s an amazing player. Obviously, he is Croatian and I admired him when I was a child and he played for my favorite club which was in Dinamo Zagreb,” added Kovacic.
The former Real Madrid player also highlighted that he and Modric are good friends now and he is looking forward to playing against him on Tuesday.
“Now, when we become good friends I admire him even more – a great person, great player and I’m looking forward to playing against him tomorrow again. Amazing,” continued the 27-year-old player.
Asked what was the secret behind Modric’s consistently high performance levels, Kovacic concluded, “It is because he loves football so much. He lives it every day. He’s a professional and if he keeps going like this, I see him still playing three, four more years on such a high level.”
Kovacic is still hopeful about Chelsea’s chances to progress against Real Madrid
Kovacic is still hopeful about his club progressing to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals even though they are 3-1 down after the first leg, courtesy of a Karim Benzema hat-trick.
Reacting to the same, he said, “Of course, we have our chances and we are motivated to show our best. We didn’t have our best game and the result is not good in the last game but there is hope and we are motivated to try our best so it will be a quality game and we are looking forward.“
Whatever happens in the second leg against Chelsea, it will be good for football because the fans are guaranteed an amazing game between the two world-class sides.
Stay Updated!
Aryan Sharma
(95 Articles Published)