Real Madrid star given standing ovation by Villarreal fans | OneFootball

A headline member of the midfield ranks at Real Madrid was this evening on the receiving end of a standing ovation, whilst on the road.

Los Blancos, of course, marked their return to action a short time ago.

In their penultimate domestic outing of the campaign, Real made the trip to La Cerámica, for a meeting with Villarreal.

With the La Liga title long wrapped up, Carlo Ancelotti opted to once again heavily rotate his XI, introducing a whole host of more seldom-seen members of his squad.

And one such player came in the form of Luka Modrić, afforded a starting berth alongside Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos in the middle of the park.

The Croatian, for his part, went on to see out all but ten minutes of what proved to be a pulsating affair, the two sides sharing the spoils in a 4-4 draw.

And, upon his number flashing across the fourth official’s board to confirm that Modrić’s evening had come to an end, his brilliance was aptly recognised by the Villarreal faithful.

Rising to their feet as one, the home crowd inside the Cerámica afforded the 38-year-old a standing ovation, an increasingly common occurrence for one of Spanish football’s greatest-ever midfielders.

Conor Laird | GSFN