It is common knowledge now that Real Madrid have struggled without the services of legendary midfielder Toni Kroos since his retirement back in 2024, when the club last lifted the league and the Champions League.
However, not many people talk about Luka Modric's departure, which has quietly hurt Real Madrid almost as much as Kroos' retirement.
Modric, until 2025, was one of Real Madrid's best players for ball retention. Even at the age of 39, he was still good to keep the ball around and circulate it to his teammates. His physical attributes meant he could not start every game and was not able to track runners as well as he used to.
Strictly talking about his on-ball expertise, there weren't many players better than Modric in terms of his technical ability, even at 39, and now, finally, Real Madrid have brought in a midfielder who can do just that.
Bernardo Silva and Luka Modric have a lot of obvious similarities
Bernardo Silva was Real Madrid's best player against Deportivo La Coruña on Wednesday night. Silva was also one of the team's brightest spots in the second half of their friendly against Ferencvaros, too.
That's not the only thing about him, though - Silva actively moves around the pitch and hunts for the ball. He is able to keep the ball for long stretches and is technically gifted, which is also a huge bonus.
Silva rarely gives the ball away, his feints and body movements are very similar to Modric, and acquires a similar position on the pitch to the Croatian as well.
Silva obviously isn't as good as Modric, and does not provide the team with the same defensive IQ as the legendary player, but is a really neat option to have in the midfield, a part of the pitch Real Madrid have notably suffered in since his and Kroos' departure.
He is not the solution, but he would be the quickfire fix that Real Madrid have for now, until they find a younger version of a player like him or Modric, who can defend well, keep the ball and help with distribution.
Real Madrid's defensive midfielders, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, have struggled to do much on the ball, as well as Fede Valverde, who is just not that type of a player.
Silva is a call-back to the short, nimble technical midfielders that fans love, and he is a good, quickfire fix for the club going into the new season.
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