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After being dubbed as the worst signing of La Liga by Marca in January, Luka Modric has picked his form up to prove to us, yet again what a world-class player he truly is.
Modric, bought by Madrid on a fee in the region of 35m pounds, has only recently lived up to his price tag and has constantly linked to a Premier League return failing to adapt to life in Spain.
Modric is a complete midfielder who craves for possession, doubled by rich Premier League experience, he seemed a perfect fit for Real Madrid. José Mourinho, who knew in August that his transfer kitty wouldn’t stretch more than 40m euros, told the board to get him Modric, with Lucas Moura out of his price range.
Modric’s ability to play in the midfield two or behind the strikers was an added bonus. But with only one goal in 33 appearances for Real Madrid, questions were asked about his ability to adapt to a new country and its culture. The possibility of a swap-deal with ex-teammate Gareth Bale was also raised.
With Madrid supporters moaning about his form, Modric certainly had a point to prove. The possibility of winning the league was diminished by the end of December, giving Jose more time to play his second squad and save the first team regulars for other competitions. Modric was picked when Ozil/Alonso were rested, giving him game time, more confidence and a chance to turn his form around.
Modric began the month of March in extraordinary fashion. He started in the league Clasico and left his mark when Sergio Ramos headed in to score the winner from his corner. Hardly you see a player’s reputation change among his new supporters with a solitary goal than Modric’s second half strike against Manchester United. He was brought on the 59th minute, to replace Arbeloa. Seven minutes later he had scored one of the best and certainly one of the most important goals of Real’s season.
Another outing against Real Mallorca at home followed. Ozil was rested with Modric starting with Pepe in midfield, he was involved in everything with his through ball splitting the defence for the goal. In the second half, he scored arguably the best goal of his career. Picking up the ball from a clearance , he smashed the ball in the top corner from 30 yards out, putting his team in the front in the process. A stunning goal and an astounding effort, forcing critics to eat up their words, Modric had finally arrived.
Modric is clearly a world-class midfielder, and if he was to stay at Madrid, he surely could. With Xabi Alonso rumoured to be close to an exit, Modric can certainly play in his position.
Sadly, there isn’t a place for the Croat in their starting line-up and the Madrid faithful are aggrieved that such a large sum was spent on a player who rarely justifies his price tag or rarely starts a game.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been a long-time admirer of his talents and if United were to put a bid in for him, Madrid might feel pressured to accept the offer, even though they would probably be making a mistake if they were to sell him.
