Real in Russia with all eyes on Modric
BUT IN THIS MADRID SQUAD, MODRIC STANDS OUT. IN PART, BECAUSE OF HIS BRILLIANCE BUT ALSO BECAUSE THE GALACTICOS ARE, JUST ABOUT, ALL GONE.
MADRID: Luka Modric returns to the Luzhniki Stadium on Tuesday, the scene of Croatia’s World Cup final defeat to France, not only as FIFA’s best men’s player but the star of Real Madrid too.
For the first time in his six seasons at Madrid, Modric will line up for a Champions League tie without Cristiano Ronaldo, who was sold, or Gareth Bale, who is injured. There will be no Kaka, Angel di Maria or James Rodriguez either, all of whom Modric has rubbed shoulders with. At 33, he has outlasted them all.
Together, that quintet cost Madrid almost 400 million euros, and each considerably more than Modric, whose fee of around 30 million pounds in 2012 would not even have got Richarlison out of Watford last summer.
But in this current squad, Modric stands out. In part, because of his brilliance but also because the Galacticos are, just about, all gone. Bale is the last, and he would have been playing against CSKA Moscow, had it not been for a thigh injury picked up on Saturday. After him, Madrid’s most expensive starters are likely to be Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos — both, like Modric, signed for around 30 million euros.
Elsewhere in Europe, Barcelona will be fielding Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele against Tottenham. Manchester United will have Paul Pogba, and PSG, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. All of them surpassed the 100-mn euro mark.
Since being wooed by James’ sumptuous volley at the Maracana in the 2014 World Cup, Madrid have changed their approach. As the remnants of the old mode depart — Ronaldo is gone, James unlikely to return — the new, younger and cheaper, batch have risen to the surface.
Alvaro Odriozola, the 22-yearold right back, could make his Champions League debut on Tuesday in the absence of Marcelo and Sergio Ramos. He was signed from Real Sociedad for 35 million euros in the summer.
Dani Ceballos came on for Bale against Atletico Madrid last weekend. And Marco Asensio, perhaps the policy’s poster boy, was brought in for a just under four million euros as an 18-yearold from Real Mallorca. All three of them Spanish, not signed for the present, but the future. The list of those nurtured in the Real Madrid youth teams is longer.
On the plane to Moscow on Sunday was Dani Carvajal, Nacho, Lucas Vazquez, Mariano Diaz, Marcos Llorente, Kiko Casilla and Sergio Reguilon, all academy graduates.