Marca make mark with re-hashed Modric quote
Spurs News 24/7
Only because it's utterly hilarious and even more so because our own media are quoting from it, here's the evidence that Marca are nothing more than a sensationalistic mouth-piece of self-parody, serving any given agenda Real Madrid might want to pollute the football headlines with. Actually, that's our media too.
Yes, it's a slow news day.
With thanks to @Neilo1986 via Twitter (for sharing) and credit to redbloodcell on the Vitalspurs forum for the Modric quotes.
The current Marca / Bale article:
"You made me a promise. You promised me if we didn't qualify for the Champions League and a good offer turned up you'd listen to it. Well that offer has arrived and I want to play for Real Madrid. So keep your word and negotiate".
Daniel Levy, who is famed for being a hard business man, discovered the hard way that 24 year-old Gareth Bale doesn't beat about the bush. Accustomed as he is to tough meetings, the one Levy had with the player last Wednesday in London was a real eye opener.
Bale was just as direct in his approach to the Chairman as he is when he plays on the pitch of White Hart Lane. The Welsh forward left little room for doubt: "I'm not interested in Manchester United or any other club. I only want to play for Real Madrid." Bale is under contract at Spurs until 2016 but his agent, Jonathan Barnett, struck up a deal with Florentino Pérez and José Angel Sánchez in a meeting held in Madrid on 25th June. Should the deal be accepted, Bale will spend the next six seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu, where he stands to earn between €9 and 10 million.
The clock is ticking and although there has been no official response to Real Madrid's initial offer as yet, which amounts to just over €60 million, at Tottenham an air of resignation is seeping in as they are beginning to accept the inevitable. It is clear that where Bale would really rather be next week, rather than in Hong Kong, is in LA...and dressed in white.
The Luka Modric article from last year:
Luka Modric has accused Tottenham of breaking a promise to let him join Real Madrid, according to reports from Spain.
Marca, which has close ties to Madrid, claim that Modric was told by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy that he could leave White Hart Lane if the club failed to qualify for the Champions League and a significant bid came in.
Madrid are believed to have made an opening bid of £25 million for Modric with Tottenham yet to respond. Chelsea are also said to be in the hunt for the Croat but Modric is said to have his heart set on the Spanish capital.
Marca report that Modric met Levy for showdown talks last Wednesday in London, telling him: "You made me a promise. You promised me if we didn't qualify for the Champions League and a good offer turned up you'd listen to it.
"Well that offer has arrived and I want to play for Real Madrid. So keep your word and negotiate. I'm not interested in Manchester United or any other club. I only want to play for Real Madrid."
Journalism !
Edit: And yes, I did think this rehash was potentially a little slice of guerilla warfare from Spurs (fans), playing dirty tricks against dirty tricks.
It's more than likely there was no article and if it was made up by a Spurs fan, happy to fight a lie with a lie (be it initially, unknowingly) by sharing it as above. F*ck' em. Modric did say something very similar. I did search for the original article, didn't find it. I guess...well, that makes me guilty of bad journalism too.
Oops.
Satire just ate satire and regurgitated satire.
edit 2:
Via Jaky Kay (via email) - confirmation that Marca have taken the premise of the 'promise' Levy made to Luka and coloured over it with big hefty crayons. Thanks to Jay for the research on this:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/niko-kranjcar-blasts-lying-tottenham-1171980
No quotes directly from Modric. But still, no reason to hate Marca any less, right?