What secret does Luka Modric have to maintain his physique?

Luka Modric It’s part of the big story Real Madrid. In a time of the white institution where it seemed that the shirt 10 was cursed, the Croatian took the responsibility of wearing it to vindicate it. The work of art that he placed in the area for Rodrygo to give life to Real Madrid against Chelsea in the quarterfinals of the Champions League is just an anecdote. Modrić has had hundreds of similar passes, what’s special about this time is that he will turn 37 in September.

In a totally changing modern football, where a lot of importance is given to dynamics and the famous ”Box-to-Box”, Luka Modrić paints the pitch sepia every time he makes contact with the ball. Because not only is there a tangible issue with the simple fact that it is impossible to steal it, but it also has a little-seen tactical obedience. It can be the football engine of the team as against PSG, or it can also lend a hand in defense as it happened against Chelsea.

The concrete thing is that Modrić is surprising because he is really reaching an age where it is not normal to perform at such a high level. Even Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimović, two footballers with a privileged physique, have suffered injuries in recent times as a result of their age. On the other hand, the Croatian disputes all the matches of Real Madrid and his National Team; and he never asks for substitution. It is a gene that geniuses have, to play absolutely every possible minute.

What is Modric’s secret?

Vlatko Vucetic, professor at the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Zagreb and head of the Center for Sports Diagnostics, has been working particularly with the Real Madrid midfielder for a long time. And in a talk with the local media ‘Jutarnji’, he told some specific questions about the effort made by Modrić: “On Wednesday morning (before the game) I sent him a plan, as I send it to him every day, recommendations for recovery: about twenty minutes of cardiovascular training, cycling, swimming or light walking, aerobic work at a load intensity of 50-60 percent.”

In the long dialogue that the physical trainer had with the Croatian midfielder, he made it clear that Modrić’s work is something he does every day, where rest and nutrition play an important role. “He kept running on the ball of his foot and that his body’s center of gravity was in the right position. And as long as you’re reactive on that forefoot, the risk of injury is much lower. When players start to change their movement technique, that’s when the lactate concentration increases. This is noticeable, among other things, by the position of the feet, of the body; and what was seen in some players on Tuesday, who start loading the muscles at a completely different anglethen the risk of injury grows rapidly,” he explained in detail about the match against Chelsea.

“You need to oxygenate yourself, get rid of the negative things in the body. Drinking a beer or two after a game can be a good thing, because a low percentage of alcohol relaxes youand the beer also has several positive ingredients,” added Vucetic in reference to the psychological need that players also have.

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