Not many players get to score against Celtic and still get a standing ovation from the Parkhead crowd but that is exactly what Luka Modric did earlier this season, when Real Madrid came visiting for the Champions League opener and left with a 3-0 win, with the Croatian legend scoring one of those.
Modric has not gotten the credit that he deserves for a long time and is without doubt one of the best midfielders ever. And similar to Andrea Pirlo, he is getting global recognition later on in his career. Of course, at the rate that he is going, he could play till he is 40 easily.
Interestingly, Callum McGregor has earned comparisons to Modric, with the Celtic captain playing some of the best football of his career under the management of Ange Postecoglou and in his free flowing brand of football.
McGregor was one of the stars on the night the Scotland national team got a 3-0 win over Ukraine. And as reported by 67 Hail Hail, Alan Rough said while speaking on PLZ Soccer:
"“I’m going to single out Callum McGregor. I think year on year he is turning into a right good international player. I know he’s not a Luka Modric, I think he’s a mini Modric.“He’s beginning to control the game, he’s beginning to bring people into the game. I just think on an international stage he’s beginning to stamp his authority on the game and make good passes bringing people in, getting forward, just controlling the game. I remember Barry Ferguson used to do it when he played for Scotland.“We all know what Callum can do at club level but I think at international level he’s really come on leaps and bounds.”"
Celtic captain compared to Modric after his great display for Scotland
It is safe to say that it is not every day or everybody that gets compared to someone with the status and ability of Modric, so McGregor would surely take the compliment.
He has been superb for Celtic for a long time as well and was arguably their best player, certainly their most consistent, as the club marched to a Premiership and League Cup double last season, bouncing back from the disaster that was the 2020/21 campaign.
There were question marks over whether he was captain material for Celtic but he has proven himself with his performances on the pitch. And he has also shown his dedication to the club by signing a long-term deal. Thus, fans can look forward to several more years of his brilliance on the Parkhead pitch.