Over the weekend, fans got to see Croatia defeat Portugal 2-1 in a friendly match ahead of the EUROS 2024. Luka Modric played in the match and scored a goal via penalty, while his former teammate at Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, watched the game on the bench and didn’t play. The two did greet each other after spending many years together at Real Madrid, and many fans were happy to see the two share a nice moment. The two were conversing a lot on and off the pitch since it has been a while since the two have seen each other. Ronaldo reportedly couldn’t help but ask about how the Real Madrid team was doing and asked Modric who had impressed him the most before the arrival of Kylian Mbappé. According to Defensa Central, Modric reportedly said, “I like Vinicius and Bellingham a lot; they have the winning genes.” Vinicius Jr. won his second Champions League with Real Madrid, while Jude Bellingham won the Champions League, the Spanish Super Cup, and La Liga in his debut season.
Modric played for 54 minutes in the 2-1 win over Ronaldo’s Portugal team at the Estadio Nacional. Modric scored a penalty in the 8th minute of the match. Despite being 38 years old, he remains crucial for the Croatian national team, and the friendly match against Portugal was the last preparation match before the Euros.
Modric and Croatia will be playing Group B, and in their group, they will face Spain, Italy, and Albania. Their first match of the Euros will be against Spain on June 15th at the Olympiastadion. Their second game will be against Albania on June 19th at the Volksparkstadion. Their last match of the group stage will be against Italy on June 24th at the Red Bull Arena Leipzig.
Modric admits that Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham have impressed him the most at Real Madrid. Vinicius Jr. played a total of 39 matches for Real Madrid this past season. He scored 24 goals and provided 11 assists across all competitions. Bellingham played 42 matches for Real Madrid this past season across all competitions, scoring 23 goals and providing 13 assists. Both are heavy favorites to win the 2024 Ballon d’Or.
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