Real Madrid: We have to talk about Luka Modric’s incredible sprint

Real Madrid center midfielder Luka Modric capped off the scoring with Los Blancos’ third goal of the afternoon against Getafe on Saturday. And while the finish was straightforward, the work the Croatian star did before the shot is worth commending.

Luka Modric started the 2019-2020 season on rocky ground. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner struggled with fitness, as he didn’t look sharp in his initial return from injury. But it didn’t take long for the world-class midfielder to show his talent, as he hit a postage stamp screamer in a mid-October win over Granada before scoring a few more wonder goals.

However, Modric truly hit is peak in November. He pulled the strings in midfield again, bossing defenses with his deft turns and touches. Modric consistently controlled the midfield with the likes of Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde, setting up teammates whenever possible.

Saturday’s game against Getafe started out rough for Modric. The 34-year-old found it difficult to impose himself offensively despite showing quality touches and short passes, as Getafe suffocated Real’s midfield with their trademark physical style. They are a fortress at home and showed why they are among La Liga’s best defenses.

But when it counted, Modric showed up. He put the nail in the coffin in the 96th minute of the match to give Real a 3-0 win in what started out as an ugly game in which they were outplayed in the first half.

However, there was nothing ugly about Real’s final goal. It all started when Vinicius Junior tracked allllllll the way back to win the ball. He immediately gave the ball to star left back Ferland Mendy, who continued his brilliant game with a lovely bit of skill before passing it to Gareth Bale.

And then Bale, who was below his standard this game, provided a moment of magic with a wonderful “blind” pass to Fede Valverde. The young Uruguayan stepped on the gas, dribbled into the penalty box, and unselfishly squared it off to the speedster running 33 kilometers per hour alongside him to hustle and finish this deadly counter.

The name of the speedster who clocked in at that rate?

You guessed it. Luka Modric.

33.3 kilometers per hour? Not bad for a 34-year-old who was called “washed” by some writers. Since we’re all about accountability here, I even said earlier this season that Modric didn’t look like he had the stamina to make a sustained impact over 90 minutes.

Whoops.

33.3 kilometers per hour to finish off a goal in the 96th minute? What a wonderful man.

If there were any concerns about Modric’s fitness or ability to make an impact, his play over the past couple of months combined with this sprint/goal have destroyed them. And since Zinedine Zidane can always manage his minutes in midfield with the likes of Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Isco, and the returning James Rodriguez, Modric can keep on shining.