It's quite remarkable that Luka Modric is still going strong at Real Madrid.

Why do we say that? Well, the metronomic midfielder is now 36 years of age, but is able to operate out on the pitch like a world-class footballer who's far, far younger.

The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner is unquestionably one of Real Madrid's greatest ever players and was a key member of the Los Blancos squads that won four Champions Leagues in five years.

And back in April of this year, Modric further enhanced his reputation among the club's fans in the immediate aftermath of a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clasico.

Goals from Karim Benzema and Toni Kroos sealed victory for Real Madrid in torrential rain at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium.

Kroos & Modric vs Barcelona

After the full-time whistle had been blown, Barcelona's Gerard Pique went straight over to the referee to complain about the amount of stoppage-time that was played.

Modric, who's usually fairly reserved on and off the pitch, was having absolutely none of it, the former Tottenham man telling Pique as he went in for a handshake while smiling: "Are you ready to go complain now?"

Take a look at the incident here...

Video: Modric vs Pique after El Clasico in April

Calling out Pique, a man who's the polar opposite of popular in Madrid, after winning El Clasico? For Los Blancos supporters, it doesn't get much better than that really.

Modric actually has a pretty decent record versus Barcelona overall, which is helped by the fact that he avoided coming up against Pep Guardiola's all-conquering team.

Since signing for Real Madrid back in the summer of 2012, the little Croatian genius has 10 victories over the Blaugrana to his name and only nine defeats.

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His single goal against Barcelona came in a 3-1 La Liga victory at Camp Nou back in October 2020, one of the 28 he's scored for Los Blancos across all competitions.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: The ultimate El Clasico quiz