Casemiro has hailed Mateo Kovacic as an “amazing, unbelievable player” and said the midfielder needed a strong mind to survive the demands of Real Madrid. The former Madrid teammates spent three seasons together after Kovacic arrived from Inter Milan in 2015 and before he moved on to Chelsea in 2018.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand Presents, Casemiro said the 32-year-old Croatian had the ability to succeed at the highest level, but also had to deal with the reality of fierce competition in midfield. He said Kovacic sometimes wanted to play when he was not selected and had to stay calm and relaxed, adding that the biggest test for players at Madrid was in the head.
Kovacic's time in Spain is easy to overlook next to some of the club's louder names, but his record was substantial. He made 109 appearances, won three Champions League titles and lifted one La Liga crown before moving to Chelsea, where he won the Champions League again. He later added the Premier League title with Manchester City.
The Croatian's route through elite clubs was shaped by competition as much as talent. Casemiro said he understood Kovacic's frustration because Toni Kroos and Luka Modric were ahead of him in the pecking order, and that the midfielder had to accept that reality while still pushing to play.
That same patience has been tested again this season at Manchester City. Kovacic's campaign was derailed by an Achilles problem and then an ankle issue, leaving him with just three Premier League appearances, all from the bench. He returned to fitness in March, but his comeback has remained brief: 24 minutes across two substitute outings in April.
He was an unused substitute as City beat Brentford 3-0 on Saturday, another reminder that even after recovery, minutes have remained hard to come by. Casemiro's assessment amounts to more than nostalgia for a former teammate. It is a reminder that Kovacic's career has been built on quality, but also on endurance — at Madrid, at Chelsea and now at City, where the challenge is no longer proving he can play, but staying fit long enough to be allowed to.
