Croatia and Real Madrid legend Luka Modric was still at the heart of their best performances last season, but has seen himself fall out of the starting XI this campaign. That is despite being promised a similar role to last season.
Modric, 38, signed a new one-year extension over the summer, stating, as he has every summer in recent years, that he wants to be there in order to contribute as a starter. Which is what he was told he would be, as far as Modric is concerned.
After just three starts in Real Madrid’s nine games this season though, he is the central midfielder with the least amount of minutes after Dani Ceballos. It has led to a series of rumours that Modric is unhappy, despite Carlo Ancelotti claiming there are no issues between the two.
Now Antonio Romero has revealed on Cadena SER a detail in the drama that has left many scratching their heads. His impression is that from within the club, the message has been filtered into the public domain that Modric has dropped off significantly in terms of his physical condition in the space of the last three months, and is struggling to produce in the same way as he did last season.
Given that Modric has played sparingly so far, it seems unlikely that he would be struggling physically, unless he is incapable of hitting the same levels at all, rather than just every three days. The 38-year-old will clearly have to face father time at some point, and currently Toni Kroos is outperforming him – it has become a common argument that Los Blancos cannot play with both. Certainly, Ancelotti has sought out a more dynamic and physicla side this season, and that does not play to Modric’s advantage.
