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The original was posted on /r/soccer by /u/ToastedCupboard on 2023-09-07 14:32:11.
Original Title: [SN] Luka Modric Exclusive Interview. On Saudi Arabia: " I am happy and fulfilled at Real, and while that is the case, I am not thinking about other options. Nor do I need to boost my ego with these stories about big offers. I just want to enjoy every moment in football and Real."
So, Saturday marks 38. A good year for an active player?
Beautiful! If someone had told me about 10 years ago that I would still enjoy football and everything that the game brings, training, socializing with teammates, support from the fans, I honestly wouldn’t have believed it. I am indeed a lucky man. With my family, which is the meaning of my life, I enjoy football to the fullest, with Croatia, with Real, and above all with the same passion that has kept me going since my youngest days with the ball…
Is Croatia the envy of even the strongest national teams?
And it’s understandable to me, because I know how many players in different and strongest national teams lack that passion and “I can’t wait” feeling. Togetherness is not a platitude, it is an extremely important state of relations in and around the team. Without it, you can have the highest quality, but there is no completeness for the resulting breakthroughs. On this basis, Croatia, even though it is a small country and has a very small population in relation to others, creates sports miracles, not only in football.
On the eve of the Final Four, you said that you had a decision and you hinted that it might also mean goodbye?
I said that first of all so that this topic would not be a burden on the atmosphere and preparation for the performance at the League of Nations final. I understand the interests of the media and the public, but it has been thematized for so long and somehow burdens the representative focus. When I declared that I would announce what’s next after FF, there was no more speculation about it and we had peace before the games.
What does this mean that you will stay until Euro 2024, and maybe in the League of Nations after that, or…
I think it could already be understood that I don’t have a long-term attitude, because at my age it wouldn’t be logical. I am focused on the present. I go one day at a time, one game at a time, and I listen to my situation and my contributions to the team. If I feel that I am up to par, that I can still make a difference, I am available. I can’t influence stories about years, as well as the passage of time, but I can influence how ready I am and know how I feel. And how happy I am to be in the national team. That’s why there is no announcement. I can feel that way and be there for another year or two, and I can feel that the moment is ripe in three months. That’s how you do it with the elderly, ha, ha…
In the light of your current situation at Real, maybe you could explain the introduction to the new season or the contract you signed?
There is nothing disputed before, and not even after the signing of the contract. Especially not from my side. Real expressed their desire to continue in the spring, I had the same desire. We sat down and quickly agreed. It was like that with Real for 12 years and it cannot be changed. Our relationship is extraordinary.
However, three benches in a row is not something that follows the story of these deals. Or are we missing something in that dynamic?
First of all, it is about how both the club and I, that is, the coach and I, had clear discussions and agreements. My only condition for staying was to be treated as a competitive player, as I have been, and not to be kept in the squad in the name of past merits. It was my wish that all players have the same starting position and that they can fight and fight for their place on the field. As from the first day at Real. That belief that they can contribute to the team is solid and based on the games. Well, two months ago I played twice for 120 minutes for the national team, which means that physically I can function at the previous levels. That’s why I wanted to stay, and when the club, as well as the coach, said that nothing would change in my status, I signed.
And then you watched three games in the first three rounds from the bench, which is a rarity for you. Moreover, part of the Madrid media, which was not very favorable to you in the past year, asked why the coach “exaggerates” in rejuvenating to your detriment. How did you experience this “new” status?
Nobody is happy when he is out of the game. After all in my career, in which I’m not sure I’ve ever been benched for three games in a row, that feeling was especially strange to me. But, well, the coach decided that for his own reasons. I will most certainly not sink or falter because of it. On the contrary…
It was seen in the fourth game, in which you started and according to the general opinion of the analysts, you, with the entry of Kroos, showed that Real’s game is more convincing when it “plays”, and not when the relationship just “works”. It is even claimed that maybe Real started this rejuvenation process too quickly, that is, that you and Kroos should be used very much, and used for the maturation of the younger ones?
I spoke with Ancelotti now and on his initiative. We have a very good relationship since his first mandate, as well as in this current one. There is no rust there. I am completely calm, aware that I have to work on my own as before and that sooner or later everything will fall into place. I mean, I’m aware that we have a lot of competition in the midfield, that these young guys are top players, that’s why they’re at Real. And they, normally, have their own desires, motives and are looking for a place under the sun. It is not at all disputed that we seniors must help them progress and gradually take over the title roles at the level that this club is ultimately looking for. In this sense, I have been active for a long time and I am glad that these young guys, be it Rodrygo, Vinicius, or those who came, want advice and use our experiences. I also remain firmly convinced that I can still play the way Real needs it.
It’s good that this desire is not a one-way street. After all, at the age of 38, you cannot expect to play 50-55 games for Real and ten more for the national team. But we agree that for someone who has been a protagonist at the top level for 11 years, it is not logical, nor is it right, to be an extra just to be still at Real?
That’s for sure, and I will work in that direction as much as possible to be among the protagonists this season. There are a lot of matches, obligations, there will be space for everyone…
As for the offers…
Without false modesty, there were offers before, as the interests are constant. However, my fundamental vision has been, from 2012 until today, first and always Real. Only if it happened that Real had a different idea about me, only then would I consider other options. My behavior in this sense for the past 11 years clearly confirms this.
However, this madness with Saudi Arabia also contained “sick” offers to your address. There was not a small number of those who promoted the thesis that it is crazy to turn down a couple of hundred million euros for a couple of seasons, at the age of 37-38?
I can only repeat the answer to the previous question. I am happy and fulfilled at Real, and while that is the case, I am not thinking about other options. Nor do I need to boost my ego with these stories about big offers. I just want to enjoy every moment in football and Real, and I don’t set any limits for myself.
Benzema had a different view, but do you miss your team-mate from the fantastic trophy and record wins together?
Of course I miss him because we were together for 11 years. I feel the same sense of nostalgia as with every departure of my teammates and friends, such as Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Cristiano Ronaldo and others. These are all extra classes. We were together a lot, won a lot and rejoiced, these are special relationships, connected for all time.
AS columnist Roncero, when he saw the reunion of Kroos and you with Casemiro at the recent match in the USA, he cried from similar emotions of nostalgia, for what you as a famous trio achieved together?
Yes, that’s it. The journey we had together creates these special relationships, and people who are soul food with Real experience it in the same emotional way, evoking the sensational ranges we achieved.
Are Kroos and you still “in town”?
We do not give up, even though we are aware that the end of the story is approaching. It’s a natural thing. Admittedly, he is four years younger, but he has different visions of the duration of his career compared to me. In any case, Toni is a great guy, not only extra class on the field, and I’m happy that we can enjoy the finish of our careers together.
Are you afraid, like many, how life will continue when you end your playing career?
Everyone says that it is not at all easy to adapt to a new reality after playing football all your life. I’m not afraid for myself, because I’ve been through various difficult trials in my life, but I’m well aware that it will be a very demanding adjustment. There will be time for those thoughts later.
Anyway, you’ll be playing until who knows when…
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