Luka Modric is Real Madrid’s oldest ever player: His best moments and place in club history

Luka Modric has turn into the oldest participant in Actual Madrid’s historical past at 39 years and 40 days previous, overtaking their legendary Hungarian ahead Ferenc Puskas.

Modric’s longevity on the prime of the sport is sort of unrivalled. The Croatia midfielder’s 27 trophies throughout 13 seasons with Madrid are probably the most of any participant in membership historical past and he’ll quickly rack up 550 appearances (he’s on 547). Striker Raul is the membership’s file look maker, having featured in 741 video games from 1994-2010.

“By all of the parameters of soccer… Luka ought to have retired a few years in the past,” his buddy and former Madrid striker Predrag Mijatovic informed The Athletic last yr. “However then you definately see him play and it’s important to say, ‘This man just isn’t 38 (as he was then), he’s 28’.”

Right here, we take a look at what Modric’s friends have mentioned about him, the gamers he has overtaken to turn into Madrid’s oldest ever and the way that file compares within the Champions League and La Liga — in addition to recapping a few of his finest moments with the Spanish membership.

What have Modric’s former team-mates and coaches mentioned about him?

Final yr, The Athletic printed a chunk by which individuals who have performed with and managed Modric paid tribute after he reached 500 appearances for Madrid — turning into solely the twelfth participant to take action. Listed below are a few of the highlights:

Ivan Rakitic, former Croatia team-mate: “He’s a lesson for all of us that age is only a quantity — he’s nonetheless enjoying at a really excessive stage, we’re having fun with the soccer he’s giving us, so let him hold doing the identical and let the remainder of us hold having fun with it.”

Slaven Bilic, ex-Croatia coach: “Individuals ask me, ‘Did he change?’. After all he modified, however just like the iPhone modifications each couple of years. They’ve reached the iPhone 15 or 16 — he has additionally upgraded, however he had all of it to start with.”

Predrag Mijatovic, former striker and sporting director for Actual Madrid: “You speak to him now and even with every part he has gained, he’s nonetheless loopy about successful. You say to him, ‘What distinction does it make to have one trophy extra or one much less?’. However no. It’s unbelievable. His ambition, it’s totally different. He’s by no means blissful — he needs increasingly.”

You possibly can learn the complete piece right here.

What are a few of Modric’s finest moments for Madrid?

It’s inconceivable to checklist all of Modric’s highlights in a Actual Madrid shirt. However we’ve had a go right here. Be happy to recommend your personal within the feedback.

Objective towards Manchester United, Champions League final 16 second leg, March 2013

The second Modric’s Madrid profession took off after a blended first season following his transfer from Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League.

After the primary leg completed 1-1 on the Bernabeu, Madrid had been 1-0 down at Previous Trafford following a Sergio Ramos own-goal. Nani had been proven a controversial crimson card to cut back the house facet to 10 males however Modric made positive Madrid’s nerves had been really settled when he picked up the ball in United’s half, skipped previous Michael Carrick and rifled dwelling a right-footed end through the put up from distance.

📆 Tal día como hoy en 2013…
🎩 ¡La magia de @lukamodric10 es ♾️!
🆚 @ManUtd_Es #RealFootball pic.twitter.com/Etd8FquAlM

— Actual Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) March 5, 2023

Nook for Sergio Ramos aim towards Atletico Madrid, Champions League ultimate, Could 2014

Everybody remembers Ramos because the hero of La Decima — Madrid’s beforehand elusive tenth European Cup/Champions League trophy — however the centre-back’s late header to pressure further time got here from a sometimes wonderful Modric supply. Probably the most important aim in Madrid’s trendy historical past — and one made by Modric.

⏱️ 92:48.
🏆 LA DÉCIMA#RealFootball | #OTD pic.twitter.com/yGpC0N9j5v

— Actual Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 24, 2023

Objective towards Barcelona, La Liga, October 2020

This aim loses one thing due to the setting — an empty Camp Nou throughout the pandemic — however it nonetheless demonstrates a few of Modric’s finest traits.

With Madrid 2-1 up and Barcelona goalkeeper Neto scrambling as Modric receives the ball on the sting of the realm, he deftly shifts to the suitable, then to his left, with Neto helpless, earlier than poking dwelling with the skin of his proper boot.

For viewers within the UK:

Luka Modric absolutely seals the Clasico victory for the reigning champions! 🔥

Neto’s spill created the possibility, however the Croatian was so composed in biding his time and making use of the end 👏 pic.twitter.com/sbKw7WBr05

— Premier Sports activities (@PremSportsTV) October 24, 2020

For viewers within the U.S.:

¡Y llegó el gol de Luka Modric!
El croata marcó el tercero del @realmadrid #ElClásico #beINClásico pic.twitter.com/YeOFogt3Y4

— beIN SPORTS Español (@ESbeINSPORTS) October 24, 2020

By means of ball for Karim Benzema towards Paris Saint-Germain, Champions League final 16 second leg, March 2022

The primary in a collection of exceptional comebacks by Madrid en path to successful their 14th European Cup.

Madrid had been drawing 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain on the Bernabeu and dropping 2-1 on mixture with 14 minutes of the 90 to go when Modric regained possession in his personal half, burst previous Neymar and Idrissa Gueye and performed an inch-perfect by way of ball for Vinicius Junior. The winger held up play earlier than offloading to an unmarked Modric, who threaded one other fantastic go for Benzema to attain his second of the evening, earlier than the Frenchman accomplished his hat-trick with the winner two minutes later.

Exterior-of-the-boot go to Rodrygo towards Chelsea, Champions League quarter-final second leg, April 2022

One other essential Modric second in a Champions League comeback that season.

Chelsea had by some means fought again from a 3-1 first-leg loss at dwelling to guide 3-0 in Madrid, and 4-3 on mixture with 10 minutes of the 90 remaining. Which is when Modric took management, trying up and enjoying a exceptional outside-of-the-boot go for Rodrygo to run onto and draw the perimeters stage total. Benzema then gained the tie in further time.

🅰️ Masterclass of assists!@lukamodric10 | #Modrić2024 pic.twitter.com/HKcI4SCpCn

— Actual Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) June 26, 2023

Who’re Madrid’s different oldest gamers?

Ferenc Puskas (39 years and 37 days)

One of the iconic gamers in Madrid’s historical past — as a lot as for his backstory as for what he achieved within the Spanish capital.

Puskas starred for the Hungary staff who inflicted a 6-3 defeat on England in 1953 — their first loss towards international opposition at Wembley — and reached the next yr’s World Cup ultimate. Then, in 1956, he took benefit of a tour by his membership facet, Budapest’s Honved, to go away his dwelling nation after the Soviet Union quashed an tried rebellion there. World governing physique FIFA subsequently imposed a two-year enjoying ban on Puskas on the Hungarian FA’s request.

That meant Puskas was 31 years previous and 18kg (40lb) chubby by the point he arrived at Madrid in 1958. Not that it mattered: he quickly slotted right into a staff who had been on their strategy to successful the primary 5 European Cups and earned the Spanish nickname ‘Canoncito Pum’ (roughly translated as ‘Booming Little Cannon’) for his highly effective left foot.

He went on to attain 242 occasions in 262 video games for Madrid, successful 5 La Liga titles and three European Cups — the latter together with 4 targets within the 7-3 win within the 1960 ultimate towards Eintracht Frankfurt at Glasgow’s Hampden Park, together with his buddy Alfredo Di Stefano getting the opposite three. “It was a kind of blissful occasions when the entire staff appeared to play brilliantly and we virtually achieved some type of footballing perfection,” he later mentioned, as quoted within the ebook Puskas On Puskas.

FIFA named its award for the most effective aim scored anyplace worldwide in a calendar yr after Puskas in 2009, three years after his dying at age 79 following a battle with Alzheimer’s illness.

Paco Buyo (38 years and 63 days)

Buyo was the goalkeeper behind the staff often called ‘La Quinta del Buitre’ — ‘The Vulture’s Cohort’, referring to striker Emilio Butragueno’s nickname and his fellow academy graduates Manolo Sanchis, Rafael Martin Vazquez, Michel and Miguel Pardeza.

Although he was not a kind of homegrown stars, becoming a member of from Sevilla in 1986, Buyo performed a key function in 4 of the 5 La Liga titles the facet gained in a row from 1986-90. He stood out for his velocity, reflexes and distinctive type, usually speeding out of his space to intercept passes and would even dribble previous opponents after successful possession.

Buyo was at Madrid from 1986 till 1997 (Paul Marriott/EMPICS through Getty Photographs)

“A lot of individuals referred to as me loopy… however I used to be forward of my time,” he informed Spanish newspaper El Mundo in 2021. “After we watch soccer now, who was the loopy one? Immediately there’s a lot of reward for goalkeepers like me, however again then I used to be a Martian.”

He retired in 1997, after a season by which he didn’t characteristic in any respect following the arrival of German Bodo Illgner. Iker Casillas (with 725) is the one goalkeeper to have made extra appearances for Madrid than Buyo’s 451, the final of which was a 2-0 La Liga win towards Albacete in March 1996.

Jerzy Dudek (38 years and 59 days)

An outlier on this checklist, Dudek solely performed 12 occasions for Madrid after becoming a member of from Liverpool in 2007, two years after his Champions League ultimate heroics towards AC Milan in Istanbul.

“Actual Madrid spoke to me after we had been in Athens making ready for the Champions League ultimate (that Could, additionally towards Milan) and I used to be laughing saying, ‘Don’t joke with me’,” the Polish goalkeeper informed UK newspaper The Guardian in 2008. “I by no means thought it will be attainable to affix a much bigger membership than Liverpool, however I used to be improper.”

Dudek joined Madrid from Liverpool in summer time 2007 (Mike Egerton – PA Photographs through Getty Photographs)

Dudek was hardly ever referred to as on as Casillas’ understudy however picked up a La Liga winner’s medal in his first season and one after the 2011 Copa del Rey ultimate, when Madrid beat Barcelona with the golf equipment’ El Clasico rivalry at its fiercest.

He was given a guard of honour by his team-mates and a standing ovation by the Bernabeu crowd when he was changed in his final senior look, towards Almeria in Could 2011.

Alfredo Di Stefano (37 years and 328 days)

Probably crucial participant in Madrid’s historical past.

Argentina-born Di Stefano joined the membership in 1953 and helped forge their legend by inspiring these first 5 European Cups in addition to eight La Liga titles. Nicknamed ‘La Saeta Rubia’ (The Blond Arrow), he was nominally a ahead however contributed everywhere in the pitch.

GO DEEPER

‘Half artist, half warrior’ – watching Bellingham with Di Stefano’s former team-mates

His seven targets in European Cup finals are solely matched by Puskas — Cristiano Ronaldo is the next-most prolific in Champions League/European Cup finals with 4 for Manchester United and Madrid — and he was the membership’s file goalscorer with 308 in 396 video games till Raul surpassed him in 2009 (Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema have since overtaken the latter). Madrid’s web site merely describes Di Stefano as ‘One of the best footballer of all time’.

Di Stefano with the 5 European Cups gained as a Madrid participant (Actual Madrid through Getty Photographs)

Di Stefano went on to have two spells as Madrid’s supervisor within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties and was named an honorary president of the membership, however that was small potatoes in comparison with his achievements as a participant. When he died in 2014, aged 88, his casket was displayed on the Bernabeu.

“In 50 years, Actual Madrid gained two La Liga titles,” their former participant, supervisor, sporting director and now-pundit Jorge Valdano wrote for newspaper El Pais after his dying. “Alfredo arrived and, within the subsequent 50, the membership gained extra titles than all of the Spanish groups put collectively. Such a stable reality doesn’t want nuance, as a result of that’s referred to as altering historical past.”

How does Modric’s file evaluate with the marks for the La Liga and the Champions League?

Modric has a strategy to go till he turns into the oldest Champions League participant — that honour belongs to the Italian goalkeeper Marco Ballotta, who was 43 years and 252 days previous when he performed for Lazio towards Actual Madrid in a 3-1 group-stage defeat in December 2007.

He’ll have to attend even longer if he needs to turn into the oldest participant in La Liga historical past: Englishman Harry Lowe was 48 when he turned out for Actual Sociedad in 1935.

However there may be another file Modric might be aiming for this season — turning into the oldest participant to win the Champions League. He’s at the moment second on that checklist, behind Milan nice Paolo Maldini, after Madrid’s overcome Borussia Dortmund at Wembley final season.

Maldini was 38 years and 331 days previous when Milan beat Liverpool in that 2007 ultimate talked about above. When the 2024-25 ultimate takes place at Munich’s Allianz Stadium on Could 31, Modric might be 39 years and 264 days previous.

(High photograph: Guillermo Martinez/SOPA Photographs/LightRocket through Getty Photographs)