Challenges and memories pile up for Luka Modric. It is the virtue of those who are older than others and become accustomed to looking to the future as well as to the past. The rope is uneven for the Real Madrid genius, he has little road ahead of him and many memories when he looks back. In the bowels of Munich's Olympic stadium, where Jesse Owens During the '36 Games and the current famous blue athletics track, the captain of Croatia talks about his career and also about Spain, his rival this Saturday.
'If they had put a piece of paper in front of me when I was growing up and I could have written anything I wanted in football, I would have been scared to write it all down. I didn't expect it, but here I am. It makes me proud», he greets at a press conference with most questions in Spanish and all answers in Croatian.
“I want to play this European Championship. I remember the 2006 World Cup in Germany. There was an impressive atmosphere in this stadium, one of the best I have ever experienced,” said the Madrid player.
Croatia stands around the title it did not win, a finalist at the 2018 World Cup, in the last Nations League, third at the 2020 European Championship. Modric wants to lift a cup. “We have shown that we deserve to be at the top of European football. We never succeeded in that in the European Championship take that last step, But I hope we can achieve something important this time.
Modric compared champion Spain with Luis de la Fuente's current team. “The team that won the World Cup and the European Championship twice was special, one of the best in history. But now they have a great mix of young players and experienced players. It's a good group, very talented and fast on the wings. “They are one of the candidates.”
The Madrid player was asked about Lamine Yamal, who was a baby when he played in his first World Cup. «I feel very old next to him. But the years don't matter much. It doesn't matter if you're too young or too old; What matters is what is demonstrated on the field. This season he has done incredible things. Everyone sees it as one of the dangers of Spain. “He has enormous potential and a fantastic career ahead of him.”
High-flying competition is announced at the Berlin Olympics. «We all want to play against the greats. Spain is one of them – according to the Croatian captain. We want to play. We know them well and we know the details will be important; We have to take care of them, give them our best version. “We never get tired of the best games.”