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Luka Modric's Number 10 Shirt At Real Madrid Might Be Cursed

Luka Modric's Number 10 Shirt At Real Madrid Might Be Cursed

There's a lot of sporting curses. Can Luka Modric shake the one that's been going at Real Madrid for 12 years.

Ryan Sidle

Ryan Sidle

After James Rodriguez moved on from Real Madrid in the summer it left the number 10 vacant. Step forward Luka Modric to take what is usually an iconic number, but maybe for all the wrong reasons when it comes to Real Madrid.

After struggling for regular game-time at the Bernabeu under Zinedine Zidane last season, the Colombian captain has joined Bayern Munich on a two-year loan with an option to buy - linking up again with Carlo Ancelotti, the man who signed him for Real Madrid three years ago.

Image: PA

Rodriguez's departure frees up the iconic shirt number, and instead of giving it to one of the four new arrivals - Theo Hernandez, Borja Mayoral, Marcos Llorente and Dani Ceballos, Real have handed the shirt to midfield metronome Luka Modric.

Image: PA

Coming off an uber consistent campaign in which he played an integral part in the club's La Liga and Champions League success, the Croatian has swapped No.19 for No.10, the number he wears for his country, for the forthcoming season, as the official Real Madrid website has shown.

However it's not necessarily the best news in the world with some Real fans believing that Figo's stint in the iconic shirt left a curse on the number that has never been the same at the Bernabeu since.

There have been five men to wear the shirt since the legendary Portuguese forward moved to Inter Milan and Rodriguez' era of underwhelming as the number 10 only hardened Los Blancos' fans belief that the number is bad news.

The beginning of the curse. Image: PA

Robinho took the shirt first of all and despite a lot of promise he never lived up to his potential before Manchester City made him their first marquee signing under the new rich regime.

Next up was Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman would follow Figo to the San Siro but before he won the treble and reached the World Cup final in the same year whilst at the Italian team he was poor in La Liga.

Hardly screams number 10! Image: PA

Next was Lassana Diarra, not a poor player but not a number 10 by any stretch of the imagination. A solid player but nothing spectacular and far removed from what you'd expect from the Galacticos.

And finally before Rodriguez was Mesut Ozil. The German may have helped Real to win La Liga during the Pep Guardiola era at Barcelona but, and get this, the Madridistas complained that he went missing in the big games!

As far as curses go it might not be the worst in sport but Modric will still have to shake it!

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Modric, Real Madrid