Real Madrid legend Modric was interviewed by Roncero at Milanello, AC Milan's training ground. He spoke about his life at Milan and his decision to continue playing, while reflecting on his career at Real Madrid and discussing Mourinho, Ronaldo, Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinícius, as well as the possibility of returning to Real Madrid in the future. This article is the third part of an exclusive interview.

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Speaking of coaches, let's move to another golden period in your life—your time at Real Madrid. Mourinho returned. He was the coach who insisted on signing you, telling Florentino: "President, we have to sign this young man, we have to sign this young man." At that time, you almost had to "rebel" at Tottenham because they didn't want to let you pursue your dream of joining Real Madrid. Now it seems Mourinho has reignited the passion at the Bernabéu and within the club itself, and we're seeing a new Real Madrid. Since you know him, tell me what happened when you joined Real Madrid. How did he approach you, and how did he convince you with his unique personality? Also, do you think Mourinho can truly help Real Madrid regain the competitive passion that fans have missed?

Yes, without a doubt. From the very first few matches, it was clear this was a different Real Madrid, a fearsome Real Madrid, and I really liked that.

I think the club made a very right decision in choosing Mourinho. Considering this team and every aspect, I think he's the best choice for the position. He's familiar with this place, he's a winner, and he has an amazing personality. And I have special affection for him because he brought me to Real Madrid, which was the most important factor in my joining Real Madrid.

At that time he told the club: "I want him, or I don't want anyone else."

He was quite determined back then!

You understand? That's why I was eventually able to join Real Madrid. According to the negotiations at that time, without his insistence, Real Madrid probably would have withdrawn long ago due to many complications in the negotiation process.

So I have deep affection and great respect for him. The only thing I regret is that I didn't work with him for longer.

Just one year.

Yes, but in that year, I learned so much, including how to work better, how to fight, and how to give my all...

The way he prepared for matches was truly amazing. When you step onto the pitch, you know exactly what's going to happen next. I think he's the best choice, he will bring a lot of joy to Real Madrid fans, and Real Madrid will become very dangerous in all competitions.

Mourinho is someone special to me because he worked so hard to sign me, and you never forget that. For him, I'm willing to do anything he needs me to do.

Although we don't communicate much now, we still text each other from time to time, and I always wish him all the best. I think he's now in the right place because he's at the best club in the world, and he's one of the greatest coaches in history. This combination is very good, and it will certainly make others afraid.

Yes, certainly. Barcelona will probably be more worried now, just like before. When Mourinho first came to Real Madrid, they faced a Barcelona that seemed unbeatable under Guardiola. Then came the famous Copa del Rey final, and that record-breaking La Liga season could be said to have stopped the "bleeding" at that time. Now, although not in the Champions League, Barcelona has won two consecutive La Liga titles. If they win a third consecutive title, Real Madrid will find it very hard to accept. However, now everyone feels that with Mourinho, Barcelona will have a much harder time, and the situation has started to change.

Certainly. But Real Madrid should never 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 its own work. Other teams should worry about Real Madrid, not the other way around. This has always been the case, at least in my era, and even before that. That's why Real Madrid is so great.

In Milan, people greatly admire you. You can also see how much people love you at San Siro, but Real Madrid fans haven't forgotten you either. Before every Real Madrid match, I still see many Modric jerseys at the Bernabéu. I think you must often recall the moment you said goodbye to Ancelotti. Do you recognize that part of your heart still remains there? For Real Madrid fans, even though you're at Milan, you will forever be a legend. They still follow you, celebrate Milan's victories because of you, and hope you win.

It's truly amazing. I said something when I left...

What was that quote?

Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

Yes, that's right.

After that, I also said that although I've won many titles, I think my greatest achievement is the love that Real Madrid fans have for me. Facing such deep affection, I really struggle to find the right words to express my gratitude.

I felt this from day one, even during the slightly difficult period when I first joined. Whether in the stands or on the streets, I could feel that people liked me, and this feeling grew deeper over time. For me, this means more than any championship.

You won 6 Champions League titles with Real Madrid, 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 few La Liga titles at that time. Not long ago, I watched Mourinho's interview with Pedrerol on La Sexta. When asked about the Negreira case, José said he didn't know who Negreira was at that time, but he "felt something wasn't right." You lived through that period directly. Have you ever wondered why you won more Champions League titles than La Liga titles? Now that everyone knows about the Negreira case, looking back, did you ever feel something unusual about the referees' decisions at that time?

Well, I don't know. To be honest, this matter was really unusual. I don't want to go deeper into this topic 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 didn't focus on each day, each match of the league. We always felt there was still time to fix 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 knew that once you make a mistake, you have to go home. In La Liga, we always felt we could make up for lost points later, but Barcelona at that time 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.

Winning more Champions Leagues is still better than winning more La Liga titles.

Yes. The Champions League is something everyone wants to win, and having 6 Champions League titles is truly amazing, so I wouldn't change anything.

But you just said the Negreira case was "unusual"...

Yes, of course it was unusual, but I didn't pay too much attention to it. It was really unusual, but I think it's also our own responsibility that we didn't win more La Liga titles.

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