Luka Modric has revealed he was left gutted when one of his Real Madrid teammates left the club to join Chelsea.
Modric established himself as one of Real Madrid’s greatest ever players during his 13-year spell at the Bernabeu, playing just shy of 600 games for Los Blancos.
The 40-year-old, now at Serie A club AC Milan, lifted four La Liga titles at Real Madrid and a staggering six Champions Leagues.
Some of Modric’s success in the Spanish capital came alongside his fellow Croatian star Mateo Kovacic, who was at the Bernabeu between 2015 and 2019.
Kovacic joined Chelsea on loan ahead of the 2018-19 season and the midfielder made an instant impact at Stamford Bridge, playing 51 games and helping the Blues win the Europa League and reach the Carabao Cup final.
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That form earned Kovacic a permanent £40m move to west London and he ended up with over 200 Chelsea appearances and a fourth Champions League medal to go with the three he won at Madrid.
Kovacic’s form at Chelsea clearly impressed Pep Guardiola as Manchester City brought him to the Etihad Stadium two years ago in a deal worth £25m.
Modric respected Kovacic’s decision to leave Real Madrid in the pursuit of more regular football but admits it was ‘hard’ to lose a ‘special’ and close teammate.
Speaking on the (Ne)uspjeh prvaka YouTube channel, Modric said: ‘Mateo wanted to play. He wanted to play, even though, in my opinion, he played a lot.
‘In that period at Real, he was, in my view, one of the best players, although he may disagree. Even if he wasn’t the main protagonist the whole time, he played outstanding matches and was very important.
‘He wanted to be the protagonist, to be on the pitch constantly, the way Toni, Casemiro and I were, but he still played phenomenal football.
‘It was hard for me when he left because Mateo is someone truly special to me.
‘From the very beginning, from the moment he came to the national team, we created an exceptional relationship, a chemistry that lasts to this day, even after he left Real.
‘At Real, we became even closer, but often when someone leaves, paths naturally separate. With him, it became even stronger. Even stronger, actually.
‘So it’s not just a friendship, but also a bond through family ties, and because of that, you miss all those players who left at certain moments.’
Modric ended his long association with Real Madrid over the summer, signing a one-year contract with Italian giants AC Milan.
The 40-year-old has made 18 appearances for Milan, who are second in La Liga – one point behind city rivals Inter – and 13th in the Champions League table.
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