Rumours about a summer exit for Real Madrid’s £33M signing Luka Modric may soon go to bed. The former Tottenham Hotspur star is progressively hitting his peak at the Bernabeu.
His integration at Real Madrid was not instant. The Croatian playmaker has struggled to compete against the likes of Sami Khedira and Mesut Özil in midfield. However, he has been influential for the Spanish giants in his latest performances.
Jose Mourinho used Modric well against Manchester United in the Last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. The Croatian came off the bench to score a cracking equalizer before Cristiano Ronaldo rounded up Real Madrid’s victory over the Red Devils at Old Trafford.
Last Saturday, Luka Modric was at it again. He scored a spectacular thunderbolt to put Los Blancos 3-2 up against Real Mallorca. Real Madrid ended the game with a 5-2 win in their bag at the delight of the home crowd. On Real Madrid's website, the ex-Spurs player revealed:
“The match against Manchester helped me loads and gave me more confidence than I had in the beginning.
“I had confidence before but not in the way that I wanted. This is football and in a match everything can change and turn out well.”
In the blink of an eye, Modric has become a fan favourite at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to these two strikes in March:
With these two goals against Manchester United and Real Mallorca – also his second and third in the 2012/13 club football season, Luka Modric is enjoying a boost of confidence. This comes at the right time for the Croatians who have two crucial international fixtures on the agenda.
It all begins this Friday as the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification hopefuls will host Serbia. Next Tuesday, they will face Wales. Croatia are second in their table with 10 points from a possible 12, like leaders Belgium.
Coach Igor Stimac named a 26-man squad earlier this month for the qualifiers. The roster includes Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.
