Modric: "I saw when Mourinho made Ronaldo cry"

Luka Modric has singled out Jose Mourinho as the most demanding coach he has ever played under, recalling an incident so intense that it brought Cristiano Ronaldo to tears in the Real Madrid dressing room.

The Croatian midfielder, now at AC Milan, has worked with a host of world-class managers, but he describes the Portuguese as the strictest of them all.

Mourinho brought Modric to Real Madrid ahead of what would be his final season in charge, finalizing a 30 million euros transfer from Tottenham Hotspur in August 2012.

Stepping into a squad full of stars such as Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, and Karim Benzema, Modric quickly tasted success, winning his first trophy with Los Blancos in the second leg of the 2012 Spanish Super Cup against arch-rivals Barcelona.

Despite this early triumph, the 2012-13 season ended on a disappointing note.

Real finished second in La Liga, 15 points behind Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona, and were defeated by city rivals Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Cup final.

The Champions League campaign also fell short, with Real exiting at the semi-final stage after a 4-3 aggregate loss to Borussia Dortmund, then managed by Jurgen Klopp.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Modric reflected on his brief but intense time with Mourinho: “He is special. As a coach and as a person. He was the one who wanted me at Real Madrid. Without Mourinho, I would never have arrived. I am sorry I only had him for one season.”

Modric also shed light on what made Mourinho such a formidable figure in the dressing room.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, now at Benfica, once reportedly reduced Ronaldo—a player who always gives his all on the pitch—to tears because he failed to chase an opposing full-back.

“I saw him make Cristiano Ronaldo cry in the locker room,” Modric said. “Mourinho is very direct, but he is honest. He treated everyone the same: Sergio Ramos, the new arrivals—it did not matter. If he had to tell you something, he would. Max Allegri, my current coach at Milan, is like that too: he tells you face-to-face what is right and what is wrong. Honesty is fundamental.”