Real Madrid hero sends beautiful message to Rodrygo after penalty miss

A World Cup knockout game is always a contrasting story of heartbreak and joy. And we saw Real Madrid stars on both ends of the spectrum after the game between Croatia and Brazil. For Luka Modric, it was the happiness of helping his country to the semi-final of the tournament. On the other hand, for the likes of Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Eder Militao, it was the pain of failing to guide their nation to their 6th world title.

For Rodrygo, the pain must be even greater, considering the fact that he ended up missing a crucial spot kick during the penalty shoot-out, as Croatia went through after being perfect from the spot.

Of course, this is a big blow for Rodrygo, but at the same time, the youngster deserves a lot of credit for stepping up to the plate for such an important spot kick and showing the courage to put his hand up and be counted under such a pressure situation.

Modric had nothing but good things to say about his Real Madrid teammate while speaking to the press after the game. As reported by Managing Madrid, the Croatian said:

"“I was his age when I missed a crucial penalty in the 2008 Euro. We have to praise him for having the courage and determination to take the first penalty, that will make him stronger.”"

Modric sends beautiful message to Rodrygo after the Real Madrid star missed a crucial penalty for Brazil as they were knocked out of the World Cup by Croatia

One can only hope that Rodrygo will take this miss into stride and use it as motivation to get better. He has a lot of World Cups to play in the future and this is just the start of his career. Many more chances will come.

On the other hand, one cannot help but praise Modric and this Croatia side, who continue to defy the odds.

In 2018, they were able to make the final of the World Cup and now they are in the semi-final once again. One cannot overlook how far they have come. Back in 2010, they had not even qualified for the event in South Africa.