Real Madrid star, Luka Modric is reportedly set to become the club’s oldest player, a record presently held by Ferenc Puskas.
Even though Modric turned 39 this month, he has taken part in every Madrid game this season across all competitions, starting five of nine La Liga games.
Modric has already become the oldest player to ever play for Madrid in a La Liga match after surpassing Puskas from his final league appearance in November 1965. The Croatia international was 38 years and 238 days old when he broke the record during los Blancos’ clash against Cadiz in May. Since then, his many appearances have just extended the record.
According to 90min, Modric is set to overtake Puskas as the club’s oldest player in all competitions when Madrid play Celta Vigo this weekend once club football begins.
On May 8, 1966, Puskas made his final Madrid appearance at the age of 39 years and 36 days, losing to Real Betis in the first leg of the Copa del Generalisimo (now the Copa del Rey) quarterfinal.
Modric will be 39 years and 40 days old if he features against Celta in any way as anticipated. He will play an important role for the remainder of the season and it is only a matter of time before the record is broken, even if he doesn’t take the field for that specific game.
Modric joined the Spanish giants from Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the 2012-13 season where he was voted as the worst signing in Laliga at the end of that campaign.
The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder has already won numerous trophies in Spain including six UEFA Champions League trophies, 4 Laliga titles, four FIFA Club World Cups, five UEFA Super Cups amongst others.
The 39-year-old famously broke the duopoly of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when he won the Ballon d’Or award in 2018 after leading Croatia to the final of the World Cup in Russia which they unfortunately lost to France.
