Bent lavishes praise on Real Madrid star before Liverpool clash – ‘he seemed to have three eyes’

Lewis Oldham
Bent heaps praise on Modric
Ex-Tottenham striker Darren Bent on punditry duties

Darren Bent has praised Luka Modric ahead of the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid on Saturday.

The duo played together during their time at Tottenham Hotspur. After four years at Spurs, Modric signed for Real Madrid in 2012 for around £30m.

The Croatian has played just short of 450 times for the Spanish giants. He won the Ballon d’Or in 2018.


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Modric has already helped Real Madrid win the Champions League on four occasions.

They face Liverpool in the final of the Champions League this weekend in Paris at the Stade de France.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will complete the treble if they get the better of Real Madrid. They have already lifted the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this term.

Ahead of the final, Bent has admitted that Modric was “levels above everyone” else at Tottenham:

“When Luka joined Spurs, the first thing you noticed was his technique,” Bent told The Sun.

“I had played against him for England but when you watched him up close, he was a player you knew straight away was levels above everyone.

“He seemed to have three eyes because no matter what you did to try to get the ball off him, you just couldn’t get it.

“I know in the Premier League it took him a little while to get going but we always knew, once he did, it was going to be curtains for everyone else.

“From a fitness standpoint, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s still playing.

“But if you had said to me at 36 he would still be playing at the level he is, I probably would have gone, ‘Really?’ because that’s extremely high.

“For him to be doing it is absolutely incredible.”

Bent went onto detail how Modric always tried to look after himself while he was at Spurs:

“Luka was always stretching. That’s maybe why he’s supple and extremely flexible. You can tell from the way he moves with a football.

“He was very professional and used to eat particularly well. He was always in the gym, doing little extras. That’s why you’re seeing the results.”