New Delhi: Luca Mordic became the oldest player to ever play for Real Madrid at 39 years, as they beat Celta Vigo 1-2 in La Liga. Madrid’s skipper came on as a second-half substitute and provided the assist for Vinicius Junior’s match-winning goal in the 66th minute of the game.
The win makes them level on points with Barcelona, who are due to play a game today against Sevilla. However, they are currently trailing Barcelona on goal difference and hence are placed behind Baraca. After the game, Manager Carlo Ancelotti was all praises for Modric, calling him a “top professional and great guy”.
Ancelotti further said that it was always a privilege to work with someone of Modic’s calibre and lauded him for his professionalism and his achievements in the game. About the game, Ancelotti mentioned that he was satisfied with the performance as the team was coming back from an international break, and hitting the rhythm isn’t always easy.
Tonight, with 39 years and 40 days, @lukamodric10 became the oldest player to ever appear in @realmadrid shirt in an official match! 🍷
🤯 #Croatia captain surpassed Ferenc Puskas’ 1966 record…
…and added a game-winning assist against Celta (2:1)! ✌️
A true legend of the… pic.twitter.com/jua8xEKQoK
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) October 19, 2024
Real Madrid’s mediocre performance
Madrid broke the deadlock early when Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net with a brilliant long-range strike, taking the shot in just one touch and whipping it past the goalkeeper into the top corner of the goal following a good pass from Eduardo Camavinga.
The game wasn’t one of the best performances from Ancelotti’s men, as they gave Celta too many chances, and the game could have gone either way. Celta would have opened their goal score before Mbappe’s strike had Williot Swedberg not floundered a brilliant chance when coming face-to-face with Thibaut Courtois and played his shot wide.
Real’s defence was also weak, as Celta’s counter-attacks consistently put them in trouble. Celta’s efforts paid off, as six minutes into the second half, they equalized through Swedberg. Vinicius was able to give the lead back to Madrid just 15 minutes later after an earlier goal from his shoes was ruled for offside through a well-made pass by Modric.
The win is Modric’s 250th with the capital team, having won 27 major titles with the team so far, including six Champions League, four La Liga, five Club World Cups, five Spanish Super Cups, five European Super Cups and two Copa del Rey. His appearance at 39 years and 40 days makes him the oldest to ever play for Real Madrid, breaking the previous record held by Ferenc Puskas for 58 years.
