“He is a gift for football” - Carlo Ancelotti salutes Real Madrid star after 5-0 win in Copa del Rey

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti hailed Luka Modric after his performance in their Copa del Rey Round of 32 win over Deportivo Minero. Los Blancos hammered the fourth-tier side 5-0 at the Cartagonova Stadium on Monday, January 6.

Luka Modric started the game and was brilliant throughout. He completed 75/79 passes, made three key passes, completed 3/3 dribble attempts, and won 7/8 duels. He also scored an excellent goal to top it all off in the 55th minute.

After the game, Carlo Ancelotti said (via Madrid Xtra):

“He is a gift for football. Even more so for those who can enjoy it up close, the fans, the teammates, the coach... all of Real Madrid. For me it’s a great gift, especially for the way he prepares for these types of matches. He prepares them as if they were a final, he’s a very important example for young people.”

Modric is widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time and he's still going strong at 39. He is a Real Madrid legend, having won the most number of trophies in the club's history with 28. He has made 561 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring 40 goals and providing 90 assists.

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Carlo Ancelotti assesses Real Madrid's performance in win over Deportivo Minera

It was an expectedly comfortable night for Carlo Ancelotti's side against Deportivo Minera. Federico Valverde opened the scoring for Real Madrid in the fifth minute before Eduardo Camavinga added another eight minutes later. Arda Guler made it 3-0 in the 28th minute before Luka Modric's 55th-minute goal. Guler completed his brace and the scoring in the 88th minute.

Carlo Ancelotti shared his thoughts on his side's performance, saying (via Managing Madrid):

“We played a good match, committed from the start. We took the lead early on, from the start. We controlled the game well, it was a good match. We are satisfied. Let’s think about what’s next.

“Seriousness is important, playing as a team, taking it seriously, we have more quality, but it was not obvious to have more attitude. And the team did well from start to finish. It was a good match. Those who play less got minutes and we are satisfied.”

Real Madrid had 67% possession and 33 attempts with 21 being on target while the hosts had just four attempts with one being on target. Los Blancos will next face Mallorca at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia in the Supercopa de Espana semi-final on Thursday, January 9.