News about Luka Modric

Luka Modric beat a record previously held by Ferenc Puskas as he starred in Real Madrid's 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich. The Croatian came off the bench on Tuesday night in the 75th minute, replacing Jude Bellingham, who had had a muted night by his standards.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti (left photo, right) has revealed he was forced to substitute Jude Bellingham (bottom right) against Bayern Munich due to cramp. The two sides played out an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Allianz Arena in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, with a brace from Vinicius Jnr cancelled out by goals from Leroy Sane and Harry Kane to leave the tie finely poised. Bellingham has had a stunning impact since arriving at Real last summer, with the 20-year-old scoring 21 goals in all competitions. However, eyebrows were raised when the Birmingham City youth product was withdrawn for Luka Modric with 15 minutes to play against Bayern.

Real Madrid's 19-year-old Turkish international Arda Guller scored the only goal of the game as Carlo Ancelotti's team went 14 points clear at the top of La Liga. It was his first start of the season and he made the difference as Madrid extended their unbeaten run in La Liga to 25 games. They asked the Spanish League to let them play on Friday to give them an extra day to prepare for next week's Champions League semi-final and they took full advantage despite fielding a second string XI. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti made nine changes from the team that won the Clasico with only Luka Modric and Nacho keeping their place. Jude Bellingham was not supposed to even travel but was on the bench after Rodrygo pulled out late with a stomach upset.

Sergio Aguero's intense reaction to Manchester City's penalty shootout defeat to Real Madrid left fans in stitches with the Argentine put through the wringer while watching his old side in the Champions League. The champions of Europe were dethroned at the Etihad as Real Madrid battled to a 1-1 draw before winning via spot-kicks - after Rodrygo's opener was cancelled out by Kevin De Bruyne in regular time. But with the aggregate score level at 4-4 and no winner coming in extra time, the game went to penalties, which Madrid won after Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic both saw their efforts saved by Andriy Lunin - despite Luka Modric missing his kick early on.

In a match dubbed the champions against the kings, nothing could separate the two sides across two games and it ended up with a penalty shootout, with Pep Guardiola's side coming up short. City had an early advantage in the shootout when former Ballon d'Or winner Luka Modric saw his spot kick saved by Ederson, but Silva missed straight after and Kovacic also had his effort stopped. Silva's miss came in bizarre fashion, with the Portugal star shooting straight down the middle and Madrid stopper Andriy Lunin standing still, easily blocking the effort to square the tie up once again.

Real Madrid is no stranger to Ballon d'Or winners, and president Florentino Perez has revealed which of his current stars he hopes to lift the statue one day - and it may raise a few eyebrows. Those who have adorned the white of Madrid for years have been trophies, including Alfredo Di Stefano, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Luka Modric. Perez has tipped another name to join the list. However, although many will honor current talisman Jude Bellingham to one day bag the award, or even Vinicius Jr., the club president has chosen another name. Perez was on hand for Real's 2-0 victory over Atletico Bilbao on Sunday, in which Brazilian forward Rodrygo scored both goals as Madrid went eight points clear at the top of La Liga.

The latest international break may be over, but the narratives and discussions surrounding various national teams are only likely to rise in the run-up to Euro 2024. The 24 teams that will be competing in Germany this summer have been confirmed at the conclusion of Tuesday's play-off finals. Among the bookies' favorites to win the tournament are France, England, Germany, and Portugal, which will begin in Munich on June 14th.

The 33-year-old has spent the majority of his career with Tottenham and Manchester City, where he has worked with Harry Kane, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale, Kevin De Bruyne, and Erling Haaland to name a few. However, the defender picked out two of his former midfielder teammates, both left footers, who had a few common traits.

OLIVER HOLT: Any list - your list as well as mine - can be dominated by those who are not on it. However, it should really be about the participants who are on it. This list is meant to be a salute to them and of football's rich, rich past, as well as what the game means to all of us and what players represent and why they capture something in us. You'll disagree with some of the names on the list, and you'll be correct. Another man's garbage is another man's treasure. The depth of our passion for the game and the ferocity of our opinions about the players are only two of the factors that make football so beautiful.

Before Euro 2024 gets underway, Kylian Mbappe has revealed that he will make an announcement about his future. Mbappe, 25, told PSG in February that he would leave the club if his deal came to an end this summer. The forward has long been associated with a move to Real Madrid and almost joined Los Blancos in the summer of 2022 before he made a late call and penned a new contract with the Ligue 1 side.

Chelsea has urged Chelsea's hierarchy to bring more experienced players into their squad, and he has cited Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as two players the Blues should watch out for. With recent owners' investment of over £1 billion to update the squad and bring in more younger players, the west London outfit has implemented a new transfer policy since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital's arrival. However, their tactic has yet to pay off. Chelsea has finished 11th in the Premier League standings after a difficult season for Mauricio Pochettino's side in the league, despite qualifying for the finals of the EFL Cup and the FA Cup semi-finals.

PETE JENSON OF THE SANTIAGO BERNABEU: Real Madrid fans showed Jude Bellingham their love at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Vincius made sure the team didn't miss him, leading from the front of his team's 4-0 victory over Rafa Benitez' Celta Vigo. When Vinicius came back from near range, Real Madrid took the lead. On 20 minutes, Antonio Rudiger led Luka Modric's corner goalwards. Vicente Guaita saved his effort and later Vinicius' first as the ball came back to him, but he couldn't avoid the sequel.

After beating Rayo Vallecano on Monday night, Girona closed the gap on Real Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti's side won on Sunday thanks to Luka Modric's bench contributions, securing a 1-0 victory over Sergio Ramos and Sevilla. Girona's victory put them right back in front of a revived Barcelona that beat Getafe on Saturday. Rafa Benitez' team took the lead in minute 100, but Real Sociedad fell further behind the top four.

PETE JENSON: Luka Modric relived the years to score the winner in Real Madrid's narrow victory over Sergio Ramos' Sevilla. It was the former Real Madrid captain's first game back at the Bernabeu two years ago, and it seemed for 85 minutes as if he was going to leave with a clean sheet and a point, but his old pal Modric had other plans. As Ramos headed Fede Valverde's cross, the 38-year-old played his first touch, a ball dropped to the Croatian and his first touch teed him up perfectly, giving Real Madrid the lead.

PETE JENSON IN SPAIN: Girona was defeated by Athletic Bilbao on Monday night to complete matchday 25 in Spain. The result, as well as victories for Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, means there is now a four-team battle for those three Champions League spots, with only seven points separating second from fifth. Despite losing to Rayo, Real Madrid remains on target, despite falling down against him. Almeria set a record no one wanted, Kubo didn't celebrate, and Madrid fans wound-up Joan Laporta in front of a captive audience of Florentino Perez. Here are ten things we learned this week.

PETE JENSON: Kylian Mbappe has agreed to take a massive pay cut to join Real Madrid this summer, but the club's top earner will still be the club's top earner despite the massive slashing of his salary. Despite losing out on a basic salary Mbappe is expected to receive a substantial signing on fee that will be over 100 million euros and will retain an 80 percent stake in any new commercial contracts he signs after becoming a Madrid player. This is a departure from the club's normal 50-50 split that is usually levied against new players.

For Saturday night's Ligue 1 fixture in Nantes, Kylian Mbappe was left out of Paris St Germain's starting line-up. On Friday, Mbappe told the French club that he would leave them at the end of the season if their deal came to an end. Luis Enrique made five changes from the Champions League triumph over Real Sociedad in the trip to Nantes this week, with Mbappe taking the field.

Since announcing his decision not to sign a new contract with PSG, Kylian Mbappe is expected to be the most wanted after free agent summer. When his deal comes to an end this summer, the France star told the club that he will leave the club, signaling a transfer from Europe's top clubs to try and sign one of the game's best players. Mbappe has scored 243 goals in 209 games for the Parisians since joining in 2017, making him the club's first goal scorer, and Les Bleus skipper has won five Ligue One titles.

Real Madrid has been allowed to try and sign the French dynamo after seven years of courting him and are among the favorites to land his signature. However, one young fan couldn't resist asking Brailsford, INEOS' sport director, who will be prominent at Old Trafford, if United will sign him.

Many people want to support their families on Valentine's Day, but not all footballers have devoted themselves to one club. Many players are moving away from their boyhood clubs and the places of their youth in order to have more game time or advance to the upper ranks of football in the modern game. So it's surprising to discover players with the longest unbroken streak with their clubs in the top leagues around the world, with others remaining in one place for more than 20 years.

PETE JENSON, SPAIN: If Real Madrid sign Kylian Mbappe this summer (and PSG are committed to it happening), then the Spanish team will have the world's best under-25 team, one that may dominate the game for a decade. It will be the result of years of focusing the transfer market more efficiently than every other club in world football. First came the significant change in philosophy from signing the biggest names for the highest price, something that has resulted in Paris Saint Germain's biggest mistake in ten years of struggling to win the Champions League.

Toni Kroos, a Real Madrid midfielder, was seen not wearing a commemorate shirt with Arabic numerals as he and his colleagues celebrated winning the Spanish Super Cup in Riyadh on Sunday. Kroos led to a 4-1 victory over their bitter rivals in midfield, who had been suspended for Luka Modric for 81 minutes, and the team was seen enjoying yet another piece of silverware after the game as he and his teammates basked in the glory on the field. However, the German player was photographed in a group shot with his fellow Real Madrid players who were sporting a special shirt that read "campeones" at the top and then Arabic script at the bottom. Kroos in the event wore a regular shirt.

What would a team with both Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in it be like? Given their high salaries and high price tags, it seems that it's almost too good to be true to even suggest that the two may be able to work together. But a contract to capture both actors may not be as exciting as one might imagine. Despite the fact that Real Madrid is one of Europe's few clubs that could financially support the pair, there are only a handful of clubs in Europe that could afford it, with Real Madrid being one of them. Mbappe has a slew of rumors that in the last week, a skepticism has emerged that it could be about to bring an end to Real Madrid's seven-year wait to sign the Paris Saint-Germain actor.

Real Madrid beat Mallorca 1-0, extending their undefeated league streak to 13 games to 13. Antonio Rudiger's second-half saves Brahim Diaz's blushes. Rudiger burst the deadlock in the 78th minute, capitalizing on some sloppy defense from Luka Modric's corner to power a header into the top corner and score his first goal of the season. It came minutes after Diaz seemed to be on a rebound after Rodrygo's shot was saved, but his header miraculously struck the inside of the post before bobbling gracefully across the goalline to safety.