Real Madrid are used to having their superstars shine on the international stage just as brightly as they do for the club, such as European Champion Dani Carvajal and Jude Bellingham, who scored an unforgettable bicycle kick this summer.
The most consistent Real Madrid star on the international stage right now, though, has to be the ageless wonder Luka Modric, who turned in another high-order performance this weekend in a 2-1 win over Scotland.
Modric was irresistible for his country, creating three chances and completing four dribbled as the Man of the Match. The legendary Madrid midfielder also won three tackles and six interceptions in a defensive monsterclass.
On the ball as a passer, Modric was consistent as ever, completing nearly 90 percent of his 65 pass attempts (second on the team behind only a center back) with six of six long balls completed.
The performance against Scotland means that only Alexander Isak is higher-rated in Sofascore in the Nations League than Luka Modric, and he benefited from facing Estonia and Azerbaijan as a striker – two of the weakest opponents in the field.
Meanwhile, Modric has a rating of 8.50 with 3.0 key passes, 2.3 accurate crosses, 3.3 tackles, 2.7 interceptions, and 2.3 successful dribbles per game. He wins 78% of his dribbles and completes 94% of his passes.
Those insane, all-around numbers have been accomplished against three quality opponents in Portugal, Poland, and Scotland. While those aren’t elite teams, all three of them are consistent European Championship sides and among the better national teams in world football.
Luka Modric is a two-time World Cup semifinalist and one of the greatest international players ever. The former Ballon d’Or and World Cup Golden Ball winner remains the cream of the crop internationally as a box-to-box midfielder at the age of 39. Ridiculous.
I encourage Real Madrid fans and, really, all world football aficionados to sing the praises of Lukita Modric as boisterously as possible. What this man is achieving every week for club and country is historic and cannot be taken for granted.
Mark my words, every single one of you will miss him when he is gone. What a player.
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.