MADRID: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane praised Luka Modric saying that the player is 35-years-old but "you wouldn't know it out on the pitch".
Zidane's comments came after Real Madrid advanced to the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Atalanta in the second-leg match here on Wednesday. In the first-leg match, Real Madrid had secured a 1-0 win against Atalanta.
In Wednesday's match, Modric provided a key assist for Karim Benzema's opener. Zidane is also impressed with Modric's understanding of the game and said he won't have any problem becoming a coach.
"He's so intelligent, that's clear. He's 35 years old but you wouldn't know it out on the pitch. If Luka wants to become a coach, he's got that in him. He understands football, if he wants to be a coach he won't have any problem. I love the kind of guy he is," the club's official website quoted Zidane as saying.
Zidane is also pleased with the team's victory and said it was a "strong all-round performance from start to finish."
"We put in a great display. It was a strong all-round performance from start to finish. When you feel as if you put in a great performance, it makes you happy to have got through. We're into the quarter-finals and things will get increasingly more difficult," the manager said.
"We now have to rest up well because we've now got Saturday's game and that's just the way it goes. We controlled the game defensively and in attack we had the chances to score the goals. I'm delighted for the players and for the performance they put in," he added.
Real Madrid will next play against Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Saturday.