Mason Mount is champing at the bit to go head-to-head with Luka Modric again – just a month on from when the England star was left gobsmacked when one of his boyhood heroes asked for his shirt.
The Chelsea midfielder went toe-to-toe with the 35-year-old veteran in the Champions League semi-finals and played a key role in knocking out Real Madrid before going on to win the final against Manchester City.
Getty
And Mount will have another opportunity to test himself against Modric on Sunday, with England facing Croatia in their Euro 2020 opener – which is live on talkSPORT.
“He has always been a player that I have looked up to,” Mount said. “Ever since he has been in the Premier League with Tottenham, I have watched him quite closely.
“Playing against him, it was weird because I had watched him so much, I kind of knew his moves and what he was going to do.
“It helps being a fan of a player and then playing against him because you know what he likes to do.
Getty
“The experience of playing against him helps because you want to be in these big games and learn how to handle the pressure and big moments.
“Those two games were massive in our run and I gained a lot of experience from them.”
Mount did not only play against Modric but took home his shirt, with the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner then requesting his jersey at Stamford Bridge.
“I spoke to (Mateo) Kovacic before the first game and asked if I could get his shirt at a later date,” he said.
“I managed to do that and he asked for mine in the second game because I didn’t actually give him mine in the first.
“Kova said he likes to swap with players so he came up and said he wanted mine and just said good luck in the upcoming games.
“It was brilliant for me obviously to speak to him and he wants my shirt so I was quite overwhelmed, yeah.”
Asked what it felt like knowing Modric wanted his shirt, he smiled and said: “Special. I’ve got it at home along with a couple of others I’ve got over the last couple of months or so. It’s always good to keep those special shirts.”
talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 will have live commentary of EVERY game of Euro 2020. You won’t miss a thing as we bring you round the clock coverage, reaction and analysis from June 11-July 11. Listen online HERE.
talkSPORT Selector Big5
talkSPORT Selector is back this summer with a brand new predictions game – Big5.
Fancy a shot at winning a share of ten thousand pounds? Turn your predictions into cash with one in four entries guaranteed to win!
Entries cost £3 and the first game closes at 1:45pm on Saturday, June 12.
Go to talkSPORT.com/selector NOW!
18+. Ts&Cs apply. Please gamble responsibly. Begambleaware.org/
from Football - news, transfers, fixtures, scores, pictures https://ift.tt/3vj7LDV
via IFTTT
No Comment