'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham has reacted to club legend Luka Modric signing a new contract. The Croat will stay at the club for at least one more year.
Luka Modric's previous contract expired on June 30. There was a lot of speculation about the 38-year-old's future but he has now signed a new contract. After the extension was announced, Bellingham reposted a post from Real Madrid on his Instagram story, adding four emojis with starry eyes.
Bellingham arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Borussia Dortmund last summer for a reported fee of €103 million. He had a stellar campaign, scoring 23 goals and providing 13 assists in 42 games across competitions.
The Englishman was in awe of veterans Luka Modric and Toni Kroos as well, as he said in an interview in April:
“Toni Kroos and Luka Modric play a totally different game. They see things before they happen on the pitch and always seem to be so calm.”
While Kroos has now retired, Bellingham will share the dressing room for one more year with Modric.
The Croat arrived at Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012. He was voted the worst signing of the season in his debut season. He is now Los Blancos' most decorated player of all time with 26 trophies, tied with Nacho Fernandez. He has made 534 appearances for the Spanish giants, recording 39 goals and 86 assists.
Luka Modric heaped praise on Jude Bellingham ahead of Real Madrid's UCL win
Los Blancos lifted their record-extending 15th UEFA Champions League trophy, beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the final on June 1. Ahead of the game, Real Madrid legend Luka Modric heaped praise on Jude Bellingham, saying (via Football365):
“Jude has shown to everyone what kind of player and what kind of talent he is. But what surprised me about him, because I didn’t know him when I saw him playing and I heard the things about him, was his mentality. His work ethic is second to none.
"He is amazing every training session, every game. His winning mentality is what impressed me most apart from his football IQ."
Bellingham helped Los Blancos win the Champions League, the La Liga title, and the Supercopa de Espana. He is also a contender to win the 2024 Ballon d'Or, an award which Modric won in 2018.
