Real Madrid have the biggest stars in world football right now, and the reigning champions of Spain and Europe love watching those same superstars shine on the international stage.
While the UEFA Nations League is nothing more than a glorified friendly – which Kylian Mbappe isn’t participating in because it’s nothing more than an increased injury risk – it’s still nice to see top players shining for their countries.
Jude Bellingham and Luka Modric are two big-game Real Madrid players who, in particular, bring their best for England and Croatia, respectively, with Jude making a name for himself at the Euros with a bicycle kick for the ages to rescue England.
Sofascore released their Team of the Week for Round 3 of the Nations League, and Real Madrid had the most players on the team with two, as the usual suspects Modric and Bellingham bossed the midfield.
Modric put together a monsterclass as the best player of the Nations League thus far, tearing Scotland to shreds offensively and defensively with three key passes, four dribbles completed, three tackles, six interceptions, and nearly 90 percent of his passes completed in Croatia’s 2-1 win.
Meanwhile, Bellingham was stellar in defeat again, standing out as England’s lone positive in a shock 2-1 loss to Greece with four fouls drawn, five dribbles completed, four clearances, and one chance created in what was otherwise a dismal day for the Three Lions.
It’s just like in the final against Spain. Even when England players don’t show up to play, Bellingham does his best to lead the team by example and do everything at once – and yet, puzzlingly, he still gets the brunt of the criticism.
As for the 39-year-old Modric, the ageless wonder of Croatia continues to shine every week he plays for the national team or Real Madrid, and it’s remarkable he’s been this good for this long without any signs of tiring.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other major outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.