“He’s 35 but you wouldn’t know it,” Zidane raves about Modric after midfielder’s masterclass against Atalanta

“He’s 35 but you wouldn’t know it,” Zidane raves about Modric after midfielder’s masterclass against Atalanta
Luka Modric produced a midfield masterclass against Atalanta

Real Madrid grabbed headlines by winning 3-1 against Atalanta in the 2nd leg of the Champions league. They progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions league after 2 years and it was the Madrid old-guard who proved their mettle once again on a big European night.

Luka Modric and Karim Benzema combined to score the first goal which double Madrid’s aggregate advantage and allowed them control over the game. Zidane used a 3-5-2 system with Kroos and Modric at the middle of the park acting as a double pivot in the absence of Casemiro.

Luka Modric produced a man-of-the-match performance against Atalanta

Modric with his man-of-the-match award against Atalanta

Luka Modric pounced upon Sportiello’s miss kicked clearance on the edge of the box. he could have gone for goal himself but showed his experience in picking out Benzema who had a clear sight of goal. Benzema made no mistake in picking the back of the net and propelled Madrid to the win.

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Zidane was impressed with Modric’s understanding of the game and said he won’t have any problem becoming a coach.

“He’s so intelligent, that’s clear. He’s 35 years old but you wouldn’t know it out on the pitch. If Luka wants to become a coach, he’s got that in him. He understands football, if he wants to be a coach he won’t have any problem. I love the kind of guy he is,” the club’s official website quoted Zidane as saying.

“Each player has their own characteristics and as a holding midfield duo, they are phenomenal,” added Zidane on Kroos and Modric.

Modric, who was voted the best player in the world in 2018, said he still felt fit enough to keep on going for a few more years in Europe’s elite.

“I feel as though I’m still 27. I feel really good and it goes to show you should not look at how old someone is. What matters is what we do on the pitch, not our passports,” Modric said.

“With my current shape, and with everything I’ve achieved with this club, I’m still hungry to keep competing at the highest level and I’ll keep working hard every day to do that.”

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