Real Madrid legend Modric was interviewed by Ronsero at Milanello, AC Milan's training ground, where he discussed his life at Milan and his decision to continue playing, while also reflecting on his career at Real Madrid and touching on Mourinho, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinicius, and the possibility of returning to Real Madrid in the future. This article is the third part of the exclusive interview.
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Speaking of coaches, let's jump to another golden period in your life—your time at Real Madrid. Mourinho is back. He's the coach who insisted on recruiting you back then, telling Florentino: "President, we have to sign this kid, we have to sign this kid." At that time, you almost had to "rebel" against Tottenham because they were unwilling to let you fulfill your dream of joining Real Madrid. Now it seems Mourinho has reignited the passion at Bernabéu and within the team itself, and we're seeing a new Real Madrid. Since you know him, tell us what happened when you joined Real Madrid first. How did he approach you, and how did he convince you with his unique personality? Also, in your opinion, can Mourinho truly help Real Madrid regain the competitive fire that fans have long missed?
Absolutely, no doubt about it. From the first few matches, it's clear this is a different Real Madrid, a Real Madrid to be feared, and I really like it.
I think the club's decision to choose Mourinho was the right one. Given this team and all the circumstances, I believe he's the best choice for the job. He knows the place, he's a winner, and he has an extraordinary personality. And I have special affection for him because he brought me to Real Madrid, which was the most important factor for me joining Real Madrid.
He told the club back then: "I want him, otherwise I don't want anyone."
He was quite firm back then!
You understand? It's precisely because of this that I was finally able to join Real Madrid. According to the negotiations at that time, if it weren't for his determination, Real Madrid might have withdrawn long ago because there were many complications during the negotiation process.
So I have deep affection and great respect for him. My only regret is that I couldn't work with him longer.
Just one year.
Yes, but in that year, I learned a lot, including how to do my job better, how to fight, and how to give everything I have...
The way he prepares for matches is truly extraordinary. When you step onto the pitch, you know exactly what's going to happen next. I think he's the best choice, he'll bring a lot of joy to Real Madrid fans, and Real Madrid will be very dangerous in all competitions.
Mourinho is someone special to me because he worked hard to sign me back then, and you never forget something like that. For him, I'm willing to do whatever needs to be done.
Although we don't communicate much now, we still message each other occasionally, and I always wish him the best. I think he's now in the best place, because he's at the best club in the world, and he himself is one of the best coaches in history. This combination is perfect, and it will certainly frighten others.
Of course. Barcelona will probably be more worried now, like last time. When Mourinho first came to Real Madrid, he faced a seemingly invincible Barcelona coached by Guardiola. Then the famous Copa del Rey final and the record-breaking La Liga season arguably stopped the "bleeding" back then. Now, even though Barcelona hasn't won the Champions League, they've won two consecutive La Liga titles, and if they get a third, it would be hard for Real Madrid to accept. But now, everyone feels that with Mourinho, it will be much harder for Barcelona, and the situation is already starting to shift.
Of course. But Real Madrid shouldn't look at what other teams are doing; they should focus on themselves.
Barcelona may be Real Madrid's biggest rival, but Real Madrid must focus on their own business. Other teams should be worried about Real Madrid, not Real Madrid worrying about other teams. It's always been this way, at least in my era, and even before. This is why Real Madrid is so great.
In Milan, people admire you greatly. At San Siro, you can also see how much everyone loves you, but Real Madrid fans haven't forgotten you either. Before every Real Madrid match, I still see many Modric shirts at Bernabéu. Your farewell scene with Ancelotti—I imagine you often see it again. Do you realize that part of your heart is still there? For Real Madrid fans, even though you went to Milan, you will always be a legend. They still follow you, celebrate Milan's victories because of you, and hope you win.
That's truly incredible. I said something when I left...
What did you say?
Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.
Yes, that's it.
After that, I also said that although I've won many trophies, I'm sure my greatest trophy is the love given to me by Real Madrid fans. Faced with such deep affection, it's very difficult for me to find the right words to express my gratitude.
I felt this from day one, even during the somewhat difficult period when I first joined. Whether in the stands or walking down the street, I could feel that people loved me, and this feeling deepened over time. For me, this is more important than any championship.
You won 6 Champions League titles with Real Madrid and 28 trophies in total. You're the player with the most titles in Real Madrid history, one more than Carvajal, even though you won relatively fewer La Liga titles back then. Not long ago, I saw Mourinho interviewed by Pedrerol on La Sexta. When asked about the Negreira case, José said he didn't know who Negreira was at the time, but he "felt something was wrong." You lived through that period directly. Have you ever wondered why you won more Champions League titles than La Liga titles? Now that the Negreira case has come to light, looking back, did you ever feel that something wasn't right about the referee decisions back then?
Well, I don't know. To be honest, this matter was indeed irregular. I don't want to discuss this topic in depth because I don't like talking about these things.
As for why we won more Champions League titles than La Liga titles during my time? I think it's because we weren't as focused on every league match. We always felt there was still time to improve things, but in the Champions League, we knew we couldn't afford to make mistakes.
The reason we could do those things in the Champions League is because we know that once you make a mistake, you go home. In La Liga, we always felt we could chase down lost points later, but Barcelona back then was very strong, and they wouldn't give you a chance to catch up. So I think that's why we won fewer La Liga titles than Champions League titles during that period. But I wouldn't change anything.
It's better to win more Champions League titles than more La Liga titles.
Yes. The Champions League is the trophy everyone wants to win, and having 6 Champions League titles is truly remarkable, so I wouldn't change anything.
But you just said the Negreira case was "irregular"...
Yes, it's certainly irregular, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. It was indeed irregular, but I think it's also our own responsibility that we didn't win more La Liga titles.
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