1 goal, 101 touches: 39-year-old Real Madrid midfielder weaves his magic yet again | OneFootball

After suffering a shocking defeat against Espanyol on Saturday, Real Madrid travelled away from home to take on Leganes in the Copa Del Rey quarterfinal.

Albeit with a thin defensive line, the Los Blancos midfield and attack had the ability to win the game single handedly.

One of the midfielders, was Luka Modric. The veteran Croatian was no longer a regular starter and got an opportunity to do so in a handful of games.

With Jude Bellingham rested, Modric was in line for a definite start – and he did not disappoint. The World Cup finalist showed that even at the age of 39, he still possesses the ability to orchestrate the Real Madrid midfield.

Starting the game off slowly, he slowly grew into it and in the 18th minute, it was Modric who put Real Madrid into the lead following an assist from Rodrygo.

His display was truly mesmerising to watch throughout the match. Those little combinations he had in the middle of the park with Brahim Díaz, Aurelien Tchouaméni and Arda Güler, were truly a sight to see.

According to Sofascore statistics, Modric was Real Madrid’s highest rated player in the match (8.2). He went on to complete the most passes in the match (81/86) with an astonishing accuracy of 94%. Furthermore, the midfielder made 4 key passes, created 1 big chance, delivered 7/7 long balls and won 2/4 duels.

He was also involved in a couple of defensive actions, making an interception, tackle and 4 recoveries.

There was a moment in the match – which was highlighted after the end of the game – wherein Vinicius Junior was involved in an on field spat with Modric, when the veteran told him to provide some legs to defend a Leganes corner. But the Brazilian did not seem interested to do so. This incident left the Croatian raging.

Carlo Ancelotti was not aware of the incident but made his stance clear in the post match presser, telling everyone that if Modric said something, then he is correct and he would always agree with the midfielder.

Perhaps this incident has been well forgotten already by both the players since it may have occurred in the heat of the moment.

At the end of the day, what really matters is the outstanding display put on by Modric that helped Real Madrid progress to the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey, where the Vikings will come up against either Atletico Madrid, FC Barcelona or Real Sociedad.

Meanwhile, youngsters should take notes, on how to put on a midfield masterclass. Also, a note to the world: just enjoy Luka Modric while you can. Players like him are cut from a different cloth and to be fair – they just don’t make them like him anymore.