GdS: The masked man - how Modric was able to engineer miraculous early return

AC Milan face Genoa at the Marassi with Champions League qualification at stake and two matches remaining. Luka Modric appeared to be sidelined earlier in the season, but he has returned to training with his teammates and is expected to start on the bench. Modric has chosen to wear a protective mask after surgery-related recovery, aiming to help the team during a delicate period that could also affect his future. A carbon-fiber mask was made by a Milanese company, tested on the field, and fitted after Modric visited the company headquarters with Dr. Mazzoni. Swelling on his left cheekbone has largely subsided, enabling the 3D cast and early return.

"With two games to go, Milan are preparing to face Genoa at the Marassi, and they will have a masked man to call upon. As was reported yesterday by various different sources, the Croatian midfielder has returned to training with his team-mates and will start the game on the bench today. The big day has arrived: five simultaneous matches will take place at 12:00 CEST, after which we will know a lot more about the race for the Champions League."

"The masked hero? As reported in today's edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below), the 40-year-old has chosen to grit his teeth and try to play in this extremely delicate phase of the season. It is one in which the main objective - a return to the Champions League - could impact his own future. Modric surprised everyone by showing up wearing his new protective mask and making it clear he wants to train with the team."

"Modric had the cast for the carbon fibre protective mask made on Thursday. To make it, he relied on a Milanese company that his teammates Rafael Leao and Samuele Ricci had turned to in the past for other issues. Yesterday morning, along with Dr. Mazzoni, he went early to the Corso Sempione area, to the headquarters of the company that made it (it's black and very lightweight) and tried it on. An on-field test was needed, and it passed."

"The former Real Madrid man was supposed to wear the protection in next week's sessions, and instead he returned early. His team-mates couldn't believe their eyes: they knew Luka would do everything he could to ensure they weren't left alone, but they weren't convinced such a recovery was possible. In recent days, the swelling on his left cheekbone had almost completely disappeared (a prerequisite for making a 3D cast of the mask), although the scars from the surgery on a"

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