Despite winning a Liga and Champions League double last season, there will be a lot of changes at the Santiago Bernabéu. The most obvious is the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, but with Nacho Fernandez and Toni Kroos moving on, there is also a certain changing of the guard. Luka Modric he will become their fourth captain in the last four years, after Sergio Ramos, Karim Benzema and then Nacho last season.
“It's a huge responsibility,” Modric told RMTV, as quoted by Brand. “When you see the captains that Real Madrid has had over the years, it's very nice, special, I'm very proud to be able to represent Madrid as captain.”
The 38-year-old signed a one-year extension with Los Blancos this week, and once he turns 39, he will likely become Real Madrid's oldest player, overtaking Ferenc Puskas.
“I never imagined everything that happened to me, especially spending so many years here. Partly your genetics play a role, but training here, with a lot of young people who push you to work harder every day, you improve every day. you can not relax”, he explained, with many amazed that he continues to do as he does, sometimes against footballers half his age.
One of the key elements of Real Madrid's success in recent years, in the eyes of Carlo Ancelotti, has been the culture of the dressing room, with the Italian often referred to as the best dressing room he has never trained
“It's like a family”, agreed Modric, “We are friends and there is a good atmosphere. That influences things, but I wanted to continue because I still feel good and I think I am able to continue to perform at a high level. We hope that all together we can win many titles this year.”
It will be interesting to see how Ancelotti uses Modric this season. For the first time last year, Modric took on a secondary role, losing his place to Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos and Jude Bellingham in midfield.
However, with Kroos retiring, and Tchouameni potentially used in defense at times, there is a way back into the starting XI for Modric. Eduardo Camavinga is the obvious obstacle to that ambition, but while each of his midfield options have their own impressive skills, none have the poise, vision or intelligence that the Croatian has.
