“He’s a gift for football” – Carlo Ancelotti expresses delight with Luka Modric – Football España

After three winless matches in a row in La Liga, Real Madrid picked up an important 2-0 victory over Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is a result that ensures that the defending champions go back level on points with table toppers Barcelona, although they could not significantly eat into the goal difference decicit.

Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti was happy with the performance that his Real Madrid side produced against Girona. As per Marca, he felt that it was fairly comfortable, while he also touched on the significance of David Alaba making his first start in 14 months after a gruelling recovery from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

“Well controlled, we played well. We are fine, today the best news is the recovery of Alaba. He played 60 minutes very well, very comfortable, we started to recover pieces at the back, I was able to rest Valverde, Rudiger… We arrive at the most important stretch of the season in top form.”

Ancelotti also singled out Luka Modric for special praise. The Croatian midfielder opened the scoring at the Bernabeu with a sensational volley, while the rest of his performance was cultured – and it resulted in him winning the MVP award from La Liga.

“I have used all the words for Modric, I have nothing new for him. He is always spectacular. He’s a gift for football. He has to keep going as long as he wants to. We have been lucky to have a legend who has marked an era here and football has a great gift for his quality and professionalism.”

Modric is out of contract at the end of the season, and at this stage, it is not clear whether Real Madrid will look to offer him a new 12-month deal. He has not been overly prominent in recent months, but despite being 39 years of age, he has certainly still got it.