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Most difficult week of my career: Modric
Madrid, March 8 (IANS) Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric has lamented the consecutive defeats conceded by his side over the past week.
The 33-year-old Croatian vowed over his official Twitter account on Thursday that the club will bounce back after the losses it has suffered.
“Most difficult week of my career. Success is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall,” Modric posted.
Heading into the 2018-19 season, Modric most likely did not expect everything to come to an end like this, reports Efe news.
He had just led his national team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup final in the summer which resulted – after a great effort on the Croatians’ part – in a loss against France.
Despite losing the final 4-2, Modric’s dazzling World Cup performance was rewarded with the Golden Ball for the best player of the tournament and later in the year he collected another individual trophy – the 2018 Ballon d’Or.
Modric, thus, became the first player to end the dominance of Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo – who joined Juventus in a surprising summer transfer from Real Madrid – and Argentina and Barcelona star Lionel Messi. Before Modric won the Ballon d’Or, Messi and Ronaldo had been alternating control of the trophy since 2008.
However, Madrid’s season has not shaped up to be what Modric and his teammates wanted. The club has been as low as ninth in La Liga after a 5-1 defeat by archrival Barcelona on October 28.
Nonetheless, Madrid under the new leadership of Argentine coach Santiago Solari, began to win and by late February the team was in third place and playing well in the Champions League and the Spanish Cup.
And then came last week.
Over the course of a week, Madrid lost three games at home, possibly dooming the club to end the season without a trophy.
The side lost two matches to Barcelona, the first of which put the team out of the Spanish Cup, while the second loss ended Madrid’s chance to win the La Liga this season.
Another defeat against Ajax ended the Spanish side’s Champions League campaign.
After hoisting the Champions League trophy a record 13 times, Madrid now finds itself eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 knockout stage, for the first time since 2010.
Before the Champions League match, the squad held a closed door meeting, on which Modric refused to comment, saying: “I cannot say what we have talked about, but we have talked. When something goes wrong we have to talk as we have done, as a family.”
He and his teammates must look at the reality of not being champions this season in any of the two tournaments – Spanish Cup and Champions League – or the La Liga, that matter in Madrid.
It will likely take some time to absorb the defeats, but the Madrid leadership needs to make definite decisions on how to retool the team.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.