Two footballers were especially singled out, positively, of Real Madrid's triumph in the Camp Nou Classic against Barcelona: Modric and Lucas Vázquez. And that neither of them was headline. The Croatian entered midway through the second half to give peace to the white midfield and ended up coming out on his shoulders after making the 1-3, in a beautifully made goal, a double threat and hit with the outside; and the Galician replaced the injured Nacho in minute 42 'and, in a right-back role that increasingly suits him better, he signed a wonderful second half, tying Alba and Dembele short when the Frenchman came out and, in addition, participating a lot in attack. He served two goals made to Kroos and Ramos that Neto avoided.
The point is that they are two of the players whose contracts expire next June 2021 (the other is Ramos). The idea of the club did not involve proposing renewals in both cases, for different reasons, but both are making merits to change their mind. Modric's contract originally extended until 2020, but the achievement of the 2018 Ballon d'Or activated an automatic clause that extended his contract one more course, until 2021.
Modric: less is more
The Balkan, at 35, is nearing the end of his career, but contrary to what one might expect, he is giving a more than decent level. Last season Zidane substantially reduced his efforts (he went from 3,565 minutes in 2018-19 to 2,628 'in 2019-20) and the Croatian found his best level, in addition to signing his highest scoring course as a Real Madrid player (five goals). The start of the 2020-21 campaign has the same color, with Zidane preserving his physique (he was a substitute in the Classic for the third time in a row) and he shining when the moment comes.
Even in the darkest moments, like in the defeat against Shakhtar in the Champions League; Modric signed a very poor first half, like everyone else in Madrid, but opened the way to try the comeback with a shoe from the front that ended up in the squad. In an interview with FourFourTwo magazine, the one from Zadar does not consider withdrawing from the first level: “I feel good and I want to continue playing football for a few more years. Where? We'll see. I will sit down with the board and we will find a suitable solution for everyone. I've been here for eight seasons, eight great seasons, and I've built a great relationship with everyone at the club. Whatever happens, there will be no problem. “
Real Madrid has recovered this season to a profile very similar to Modric's, such as Odegaard, after several assignments in which the Norwegian has been gaining in confidence and improving his level. Madrid is looking forward to this year as the one of the definitive transition between one and the other, with all the good that it can be for Odegaard to share a dressing room for a year with a footballer like Modric. However, the good moment of the Croatian's game can promote an understanding between club and player to continue together for another year. Salary is the key point: Modric is among the best paid of the squad, with a salary above ten million euros clean per course.
Lucas, a future as a winger
Lucas Vázquez, for his part, had assumed that this looked like his last season at Madrid. At 29, he ends his contract and the enormous competition in the attack closed the door to more minutes. Not surprisingly, the club has done nothing more than sign players of its profile in recent years: Vinicius, Hazard, Rodrygo … However, his good management of the right back in the Classic, which he had already shown on other occasions, could turn the situation around.
Carvajal is Zidane's strong man in the right-handed lane, so much so that Achraf saw it clearly and left transferred to Inter Milan. Odriozola is the substitute in that position, but the Marseillais does not fill his eye at all, which was clear when he gave his go-ahead for him to be loaned to Bayern in January, despite the risk of being left with only a pure side in the template. Zidane did it knowing that for emergencies he could count on Nacho and Lucas. If Curtis' confirms his good feelings as a defense, he may have a future as white as a joker in the squad, a player capable of combining the defensive and offensive line according to the team's needs. Starting with the game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Tuesday.