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As Real Madrid moved one step closer to a 36th La Liga title, Luka Modric carved out a small piece of history for himself. The Croatian legend featured as Los Blancos claimed a comfortable 3-0 win over Cadiz to maintain their healthy lead atop La Liga on Saturday, May 4.
With only five games left in La Liga and his side in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti opted to shuffle his pack. The Italian tactician played Modric from the start, pairing him with Dani Ceballos in midfield for the Cadiz game.
Luka Modric played the entire game as Los Blancos defeated Cadiz, making history in the game. The 38-year-old midfielder became the oldest outfield player to appear for the Spanish giants in La Liga. It's an incredible record considering the caliber of players to have represented them. Aged 38 years and 238 days old, his appearance meant that he broke the club's record previously held by Ferenc Puskas (38 years, 233 days) since 1965.
The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner has been at the Santiago Bernabeu since 2012 when he joined from Tottenham Hotspur. Modric has played 529 games in the white of Real Madrid and is one of the club's all-time midfield greats. Nearing his 39th birthday, the Croatia international is reportedly closing in on a new contract with Los Blancos ahead of next season.
This season, Modric has featured 41 times across all competitions, with his quality still shining through despite his age. The experienced midfielder has two goals and seven assists to his name as well.
Real Madrid down Cadiz to close in on title as Barcelona stumble
As things stand, Real Madrid look set to become La Liga champions this weekend after their 3-0 win over Cadiz at Santiago Bernabeu. Their result has been helped by results from elsewhere as Girona are closing in on a historic win over Barcelona.
Goals from Brahim Diaz (51'), Jude Bellingham (68'), and Joselu (90+3') saw Los Blancos claim a comfortable win on home soil. They are 14 points clear of second-placed Barcelona. La Blaugrana needed to win against surprise package Girona to keep the title race alive beyond this weekend.
Girona have come from 2-1 down to hold a 4-2 lead over their neighbors in Catalunya at the time of writing. Michel's side are looking to secure a UEFA Champions League spot themselves and finish above Barca in the table. The Catalan club, owned by the City Group, have excelled this season, and are set to complete a double over Barcelona.
