“Cristiano was on the table” - Luka Modric reveals what Cristiano Ronaldo told him on his first day at Real Madrid

Bhargav
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric played six seasons together at Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric played six seasons together at Real Madrid.

Real Madrid legend Luka Modric recalled club top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo extending a warm welcome on his first day at the club. The Croatian midfielder arrived at Los Blancos in the summer of 2012 from Tottenham Hotspur.

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In a glorious decade-long stint at the capital club, Modric would etch his name into Madrid folklore, becoming a key player in the middle of the park and winning big titles galore.

Now at AC Milan, whom he joined this summer on a free transfer, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner recounted his first-time experience inside the Los Blancos locker room more than a decade ago:

"When I entered the locker room, the biggest of the biggest were there. Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Xabi Alonso. Cristiano was on the table, getting a massage and said to me ''you've finally arrived," Modric said (as per Madrid Xtra).
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In his first season with the Merengues, Modric played 53 times, striking four times and providing six assists. Although Madrid didn't win a big title - finishing second in La Liga and losing in the UEFA Champions League semis and Copa del Rey final - the Croat ended the campaign with a Supercopa de Espana victory.

That would be the first of 28 titles Modric would win at Madrid, making nearly 600 appearances across competitions, registering 43 goals and 95 assists. The Milan midfielder marked his decorated Los Blancos career with six UEFA Champions League and four La Liga titles, among various domestic and continental honours.

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How Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric fared together at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and Luka Modric

Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and Luka Modric

Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric enjoyed a very successful six-season stint at Real Madrid, winning one La Liga and an unprecedented three straight UEFA Champions League titles.

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Ronaldo - who now plies his trade at Saudi Pro League giants Al-Nassr - played 222 games together with Modric at Los Blancos (both players being on the field at the same time), registering 16 joint goal contributions. Expectedly, Ronaldo scored the bulk of the goals - 14 - with Modric netting twice.

Interestingly, their last season together at Real Madrid (2017-18) before Ronaldo joined Juventus that summer, yielded six goal contributions, with the Portuguese scoring all but one of them.

Modric and Ronaldo's most notable joint goal contribution came in the 4-1 Champions League final win over Juventus in the 2016-17 season, with the Portuguese's second of the night being assisted by Modric.

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Edited by Bhargav
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