Carlo Ancelotti says there’s no left-back in the world better at defending than Real Madrid’s Ferland Mendy.
This statement was made by the Italian after his team defeated their rivals Atletico Madrid by a score of 5-3 in the semifinals of the Supercopa de Espana, which was being hosted in Saudi Arabia.
Mendy had an impact on that particular game by scoring Madrid’s second goal. He joined fellow defenders Antonio Rudiger and Dani Carvajal on the scoresheet, and Joselu and Brahim Diaz eventually contributed to Los Blancos crossing the goal line. This brought an end to Atleti’s resistance after they had taken a 3-2 lead with only 12 minutes left in the match.
“When it comes to defensive expertise, he is the finest left-back in the whole world. “He has the potential to improve at the top, and there are times when he looks like the game against Atlético,” Angelo Ancelotti reflected to the media before to the last match against Barcelona. This was in the midst of ongoing talk that Madrid is interested in acquiring Alphonso Davies from Bayern Munich.
With recent rumors stating that the 14-time Champions League champions have requested the Canadian player to not sign a new deal in Bavaria, 90min reported in November that Bayern are not only concerned about a formal approach from Madrid for Davies, but they are also afraid of an official approach from Madrid.
Given Mendy’s continued issues with injury, the possibility of Davies’ arrival would raise questions about the long-term future of the player. Mendy moved to the Santiago Bernabeu from Lyon in a deal costing 53 million euros in 2019, but his future at the club is uncertain.
A lot of Real Madrid’s icons have been leaving the club on a consistent basis over the last several years. Karim Benzema is the most recent player to join that list, having just departed the club where he had spent the previous 14 seasons in order to sign with Al-Ittihad. There are just a few of players left from the squad that won the Champions League consecutively when Zinedine Zidane was in charge of the club.
Luka Modric and Toni Kroos are the only two characters from that period for whom there are still active players. Despite the fact that the latter might still sign a contract extension with the club, it seems that this will be the last season that the Croatian star will wear the Royal White shirt.
It was during the summer of last year that he was extensively linked with a transfer elsewhere. But ultimately made the decision to continue working for Real Madrid. He declined a number of attractive offers to carry out such activity.
According to statements made by AS, Modric turned down an offer of 300 million euros for three seasons during the summer of 2017. Despite Al-Hilal’s desire for him, he kept his commitment to Real Madrid.
The Real Madrid superstar turned down an offer of 300 million euros.
During the early stages of the season, Modric may have been experiencing a sense of remorse over this choice. At that time, he was having a difficult time breaking into the starting eleven and was mostly used as a replacement. However, as the season has continued and the number of injuries has significantly increased, the player who won the Ballon d’Or in the past has been able to regain his position on the squad.
He is once again a starter, and nobody can argue that Modric is not providing what he is supposed to provide. Despite the fact that he is 38 years old, he has been one of Real Madrid’s most impressive players in recent times. Up to this point in the season, the squad has only suffered a single defeat. In the words of the proverb, “the proof is in the pudding.”
Given this, it would be difficult for Carlo Ancelotti to move Modric back to the bench, even in the event that all of the players are healthy and available. Irrespective of this, it is quite unlikely that Real Madrid would grant the Croatian great yet another extension to his contract. Nevertheless, the circumstances in football are prone to alter in a short amount of time. Therefore, you should never say never.