Luka Modrić has renewed his contract at Real Madrid and will stay with the club until summer 2025, per Fabrizio.
The midfield GOAT will be wearing #10 at the world’s greatest club at age 39. Absolutely insane. Why do I think Modrić decided to stay in the Spanish capital instead of taking buckets and buckets of cash elsewhere…most likely in Saudi Arabia.
Four reasons:
- Nacho is most likely not staying with the club. That means Modrić would be next in line to be the “club captain” for the 2024/2025 season.
- Nacho and Modrić are currently tied atop the Real Madrid summit as the most decorated players in club history; both on 26 trophies. If Modrić wins one trophy next season, he will claim Real Madrid immortality with 27+ titles.
- Mbappe is coming. Add him into the mix with Vini, Bellingham, Rodyrgo and Endrick, who is supposed to be lights out, and Modrić should easily expect more silverware in a season that will see Real Madrid trample the competition.
- Ending 2025 with Real Madrid puts Modrić 365 days away from playing for Croatia in the 2026 World Cup in North America. Just saying.
Can’t tell me Ireland U21 #4, #9, and #19 are actually U21
There are built like complete tanks – twice the size of our players
Unreal
#1
England have issues @ LB if Shaw can’t regain fitness soon
Some are saying Saka should play at LB (he’s a left-footed RW typically – but England has other better options there e.g. Palmer)
Saka played at LB earlier in his career
#2
In U21 today Osijek Bukvic (left-footed RW typically) – also played LB for U21s
Question:
Should Dalic consider playing Marco Pasalic at LB (under the same rationale) – he seems VERY responsible defensively – and we get his offensive potential but obviously from LB position
In context that Dalic may decide to start someone else at RW – so whether Marco “good enough” to include him in LB (I still don’t see Gvardiol playing “LB” for us – would be silly – as set up/formation/players completely different vs. Man C)
Thoughts ?
1 week before Euro starts and Portugal not going to play Ronaldo at all?? That seems a bit off to me…no?
Look at England vs. Iceland today
Southgate saying most players were playing at 60% today (as not to get injured)
Not sure what’s the point of these friendlies – no point in going full out (risking injury) and/or actually lining up team u plan to play first game (as opponents can just scout u out)
Ronaldo, Neves, and Pepe will not play in tomorrows friendly. Let’s see if we can finally beat the pork chops, even if it is only a friendly!
Uhhh, is that supposed to be a bad thing?
Pepe is 41 years old. The other two play in the Saudi league.
I don’t think them being gone is some sort of disadvantage.
Croatia Ireland U21 0-3
Why call up Luka Vuskovic and not play him today
Friendly perfect chance to give him exposure at this next level
Especially given CBs who did played let 3 go in
Another friendly vs. Sweden next wk
Here you go Hajduk fans:
Hajduk preuzima Ivan Jurić? Kalinić ušao u borbu s klubovima u Italiji
https://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/rubrika/nogomet/hajduk-preuzima-ivan-juric-kalinic-usao-u-borbu-s-klubovima-u-italiji—852509.html
Could Ivan Jurić turn around Hajduk’s fortunes next season? If they manage to sign him, it would be a huge boost for Hajduks future.
I keep hearing about Jurić being a good coach and doing well with Torino (despite their average standing). I assume Torino met expectations with their smaller budget… Buy why is he not extended?
I assume it’s his choice to leave… But why would he go to HNL instead?
Were there not any other offers out there?
Seems like a massive step down for him, and (more importantly) this is a huge reputational risk for him.
He’s got a good resume, but failing at Hajduk is a high possibility (due to their small budget and historical incompetence) that would really hurt his reputation as a coach. Hajduk are always quick to blame and toss coaches, and I could easily see a scenario where Hajduk signs nobody significant this summer, expect to win a title, then part ways with Jurić sometime in 2025 when he doesn’t deliver.
Not sure what the benefit is for him. Even doing well in the HNL means nothing to foreign leagues and owners. It’s not like winning the HNL will land you a gig at a top team in Serie A or the Bundesliga.
I don’t think this will happen for those exact reasons. It also states in the article: “ima i ponude u Italiji” , meaning “there are offers from Italy too”. If he gets a decent offer from a Serie A club, why go backwards to the HNL? Then again, I never thought Perisic would “come home”.
Perišić is 35 and at the end of his career.
He may also have ambitions of being involved at Hajduk in some form of management capacity too, so him signing with Hajduk was always likely to happen in the next year or so.
Jurić, however, is only 48 and still early in his bright coaching career.
Jurić suddenly going to Hajduk would be the equivalent of Perišić going back to Hajduk after his spell at Borussia Dortmund.
Completely backwards move that could hurt a career if things go sideways.
Luka has always said that he wants to end his career in Madrid. Everything else was speculation by the media. He’s intelligent and chooses his words wisely…everyone else tries to read between the lines. There were so many stories about him not being happy with his position, not being happy with the coach, etc. It was all BS. He accepted his role at Real, and he continues to be a role model and leader in the dressing room. Everyone on the team looks up to him, and respects him wholeheartedly. He’s there to pass on the winning culture and mentality of this club to the youngsters. I think he’ll have a great last season at Real, especially with the addition of Mbappe. With Kroos gone, maybe he’ll even get more game time than this past season? I’m sure he will retire from Real as their most decorated player in history after next season. Will he also retire from the repka? I hope not, but realistically, I think he’ll step down after the euros.
Who said next season is his last at RM ?
It’s the same story every yr the last 5 yrs – he signs one-yr extension – and then everyone concludes it’s his last yr
True, there’s no confirmation that it will be his last season…I’m just giving my opinion. I would LOVE to see him play 2 more years, then retire after the World Cup.
KDB saying he might take Saudi transfer/$$$
He was far from his best last season (after coming back from injury)
So probably knows he’s on the decline and needs to cash out, while he can
Point being – we so fortunate in Modric’s decision/priorities to remain as sharp as he can for Croatia, by staying at Real Madrid
Also – looks like Dalic was smart to name 26 to begin with – England starting to cut names – James Maddison left a couple days early – now Curtis Jones – lots of negative press about needing to cut players and who and why – Dalic has avoided all this by just sticking w/ 26 – smart man
We’ll see how smart he is in a couple of weeks.
Dalic is shit!!! He will put Vida there for CB `
once Gvardiol was assigned to the left side
so it will cost us dearly `
Yea the “Vida as starting CB” threat is still there
Why the F do they let this waste of oxygen, Alex Holiga write articles like he is some sort of pro? He isn’t a Croatia specialist, not for food, culture or sport…He is so clueless: https://amp.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jun/05/euro-2024-team-guides-part-six-croatia
Holiga writes with disdain for cro, but there are some insightful things he says;
“Zlatko Dalic’s team set up in 4-3-3, with 4-2-3-1 as their back-up plan. There have been many suggestions that three at the back would suit this group of players more, but that is not going to happen as long as Luka Modric is around and most likely calling the shots from behind the scenes.”
“Andrej Kramaric is brilliant for Hoffenheim operating further down the pitch as a midfielder but with Croatia he is forced to operate either on the wing or up front. Even Bruno Petkovic, who likes to drop back and play between the lines for Dinamo Zagreb, is expected to perform a much more traditional striker role.”
Its clear at this point, modrics strong vouching for kova past 5 years is the main reason we almost never play with an actual center attacking mid. The CAM position is removed in our lineup. Its unfortunate because number 10 is our most deep position; majer, kramaric, vlasic, sucic, baturina, petkovic, pasalic. And as a result we have trouble creating in the attacking third. What annoys me the most is when casuals hate on some of these players (and not dalic) when having a bad/invisible game, but don’t realize its because they’re playing completely out of position.
He’ll only say insightful things if it’s meant to divide.
Suggesting that Modrić is somehow being selfish and holding us back from playing a better formation is just a fairy tale.
Claiming that Krama is being forced to play on the wing, when he’s brilliant up top at Hoffenheim is just analysis ‘filler’… mainly because he never plays up top at Hoffenheim anymore, and he’s been perfectly fine on the wing for us (his goal contributions prove it).
Holiga’s analysis is largely just juvenile drivel. His predictions every World Cup are comical (He picked Germany winning 2018 with us finishing last in our group).
I feel sorry for him because he’s short, fat, ugly and he’s not an ethnic Croat (who admires a non-existent Yugo).
Sucks being born and raised in a country that is filled with so much beauty, culture and patriotism… and none of that includes you.
Look at how this idiot starts his article…
“Croatia have never won a knockout round game at a European Championship. And if that sounds odd given that they always seem to be punching above their weight, then how about this: the last (and only) time they’ve beaten anyone in 90 minutes after the group stage at any major tournament was 26 years ago in France (Romania and Germany). In Qatar they even reached the semi-finals after winning only one game before extra time or penalties – against Canada – and not outplaying any of their opponents in any of the other four matches.”
Ummm, we beat Morocco in our most recent tournament match, so this is an outright lie.
I love his subjective “not outplaying any of their opponents” line.
So we didn’t outplay Japan by outshooting, outpossessing and outpassing them by a large margin?
So outplaying Belgium in the first 60 minutes doesn’t count? Just the last half hour when we sat back?
We also outplayed Morocco in both games (despite the first one being a snoozefest).
This guy is a joke.
Look at how this guy starts his article…
“Croatia have never won a knockout round game at a European Championship. And if that sounds odd given that they always seem to be punching above their weight, then how about this: the last (and only) time they’ve beaten anyone in 90 minutes after the group stage at any major tournament was 26 years ago in France (Romania and Germany). In Qatar they even reached the semi-finals after winning only one game before extra time or penalties – against Canada – and not outplaying any of their opponents in any of the other four matches.”
…Ummm, we beat Morocco in our most recent tournament match, so this is an outright lie.
I love his subjective “not outplaying any of their opponents” line.
So we didn’t outplay Japan by outshooting, outpossessing and outpassing them by a large margin?
So outplaying Belgium in the first 60 minutes doesn’t count? Just the last half hour when we sat back?
We also outplayed Morocco in both games (despite the first one being a snoozefest).
This guy is a joke.
its one thing for us to see a so-called Croatian (commie or Serb or whatever affiliation he has to Croatia as a non Croat) but things get even worse…and as you mentioned the 2018 World Cup…which is exactly when one of our own members and podcast guys was circulating Holiga’s articles…I won’t go on and on since I’m sure all of you already know my feelings about this but I couldn’t stop myself from mentioning this because I felt it was betrayal. you never join the enemy just to make a point!
Pfft.
You don’t know soccer like I do.
Can someone kill Holiga please
He also conveniently forgot that we also beat the Netherlands in 1998 in the third place match. I’m pretty sure that is after the group stage. And I’m so sure he criticizes Portugal for winning the Euro in 2016 even though they won one friggin game the WHOLE TOURNAMENT in 90 minutes.
There’s also a bar chart that shows all of Croatia’s Euro performances, and it goes back to 2000…
yet, conveniently excludes our quarterfinal appearance at Euro96.
Literally does anything and everything to make us look bad. Such a pathetic Serb/Hungarian Yugo.
he’s a pathetic twat that hates Croatia but somehow wants people to believe he is a solid Hrvat…even though he hates everything Croatian!
Are we sure that he is keeping his number 10 and Mbappe didnt demand it as part of his contract?
Mbappe 9 till Modric retire (than takes 10)
This way RM doubles the # of Mbappe shirts they sell i.e. everyone who buys the 9, than updates to the 10 – smart biz
With all the problems he was having with his hip flexor and groin in his early thirties and late twenties, who would have guessed. He seems to be playing within himself, to keep it going. The limited role is working quite well.
Congratulations to our little master!
Za dom