Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior has heaped praise on club teammate Luka Modric and believes the veteran midfielder has helped him 'evolve' as a player.
The two Los Blancos stars are set to play against each other when Brazil lock horns with Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup on Friday.
Vinicius Junior joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2018 from Flamengo, six years after Modric arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Tottenham Hotspur.
Both players have established themselves as first-team regulars under head coach Carlo Ancelotti and have won seven trophies playing alongside each other, including two La Liga titles and one Champions League.
Fifteen years separate Vinicius Junior, 22, and Modric, 37, with the former very much in the early stages of his career and regarded as one of the brightest talents in world football.
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The Sao Goncalo-born winger has recorded 46 goals and 48 assists in 191 appearances for Real Madrid across all competitions, while he scored his first World Cup goal in Brazil's 4-1 victory over South Korea in the last 16 on Monday.
Brazil are seeking to keep their dreams of lifting a record-extending sixth World Cup alive when they take on Croatia, and Vinicius Junior has talked up Modric's qualities ahead of the quarter-final contest.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, as quoted by Globo, Vinicius Junior said: "It's always very difficult to play against players with great qualities. Modric has always taught me a lot, he continues to teach me on a daily basis, he does everything to keep me evolving.
"He is an example. A 37-year-old guy playing at his level is something rare. Footballers like him, Cristiano [Ronaldo], Thiago Silva, who are of an age that is no longer normal to perform like this and who are making it normal again.
"We are happy for that, I am happy to play against him, and may the best man win."
Modric, who won the Golden Ball award at the 2018 World Cup as Croatia lost in the final to France, is the nation's most-capped player with 159 appearances under his belt, and he has competed at eight major international tournaments across a 14-year period.
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The veteran playmaker has been an influential member of Croatia's 'second golden generation' and is hoping to lead his nation into the semi-finals at a second successive World Cup.
While Vinicius Junior is aware of Modric's qualities, the winger believes that Brazil cannot solely focus on the 37-year-old, highlighting that Croatia have a number of other talented players who play at a high level in European club football.
"As a whole, Croatia has the basis of the last World Cup when they reached the final against France," Vinicius Junior added. "We have to be prepared not just with Modric, but with the whole squad. They play for big clubs and will do their best to try to beat us."
Croatia have only lost one of their last 20 international matches across all competitions since Euro 2020, but they have failed to beat Brazil in four previous meetings, including defeats at the 2006 and 2014 World Cups.
The winners of Friday's quarter-final clash will set up a semi-final showdown with either Netherlands or Argentina on December 13.
Oliver Thomas
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