Real Madrid News
Rio Ferdinand names Real Madrid ace alongside Barcelona duo as best midfielders ever
It’s difficult to see past Luka Modric as one of the greatest ever to play the game. At 37, he has shown no signs of stopping and is, once again, one of the best performers in the UEFA Champions League this season.
He is also celebrated as one of the best midfielders to ever grace the game, alongside the likes of Andres Iniesta, Xavi, Andrea Pirlo, Zinedine Zidane, and others.
Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand is evidently a huge fan of Modric, too, and has hailed him as the top three midfielders of all time recently.
When asked to choose between Modric and Andrea Pirlo, Ferdinand said (h/t MadridXtra), “Modric. When you talk about the best midfielders ever, Pirlo does not really come into the conversation. It’s Xavi, Iniesta, and Modric.”
Ferdinand has played against all three legendary midfielders he name-dropped, but he faced off against Luka Modric for four years in the Premier League before the Croatian eventually moved to Real Madrid in 2012.
One of the iconic games between the two sides came in the 2008/09 season when United won 5-2 despite going 0-2 down in the first half. Modric was one of the two Tottenham players on target that day.
Rio Ferdinand had also tried to get Modric to sign for Manchester United before the Croat left for Madrid.
“But Modric, I remember speaking to him, I said, ‘Are you leaving [Tottenham]?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, I think I’m going to go’, but he wasn’t sure at the time where he was going,” the former United centre-back said, as quoted by Metro.
“I said, ‘Listen, you’ve got to come to United, man’ and he said, ‘Yeah, listen, I want to be the first Croatian to play for Man United, I want to be that guy, can we make it happen?’
“But it didn’t happen. I spoke to David Gill and the manager [Sir Alex] at the time had already agreed with Shinji Kagawa.”
Eden Hazard is one of the Real Madrid players who have vowed to stay at Santiago Bernabeu until the end of his contract. His current deal at the club expires in 2024.
Even though the Real Madrid star has been courted by several MLS and even the Saudi Arabian clubs, the forward has shown no desire to leave Bernabeu just yet. He wants to stay at the club even though Los Blancos are ready to sanction his sale this summer.
In the midst of this drama, a fresh report from Alfredo Matilla suggests Real Madrid are now considering terminating the contract of Eden Hazard.
This comes shortly after a report which claimed that a Real Madrid player who is not out of contract this summer, may shockingly leave the club this summer. Ferland Mendy was a potential candidate, but it appears Hazard has not been ruled out either.
The Belgian international has offered very little since joining from Chelsea in 2019 for a record-breaking €115 million fee. His spell at the Bernabeu has been marred by injuries, while the player has also struggled to impress when given the opportunities.
Inside the Real Madrid dressing room, there is both grief and resentment towards Belgian, who has remained steadfast in his decision to stay at the club. He has a good standing in the team due to his professionalism, but the Real Madrid bosses are determined to get rid of him this summer.
Hazard, after all, is the highest-paid player in the squad and his departure could open up a chunk of the space in the salary mass. But it must be noted that Real Madrid would have to spend a fortune to terminate Hazard’s contract.
Hence, it will be interesting to see whether or not Los Blancos end up splashing the cash in order to get Hazard out of their books this coming summer.
