Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount has labelled Real Madrid pair Luka Modric and Karim Benzema as the best players he has played against throughout his career - despite never losing to either of them.
At the age of just 22, the young Chelsea man has already accumulated plenty of experience both domestically and internationally throughout his fledgling career.
After loan spells with Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County, Mount has become a key player within the Blues set-up and contributed greatly to the club’s second Champions League victory against Manchester City.
Meanwhile, Mount has also gone on to become a fully-fledged England international having accumulated 18 international caps and been included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Euro 2020.
Throughout that period, it would only be natural for Mount to come up against the world’s best and he has picked a Real Madrid pair as his most eye-catching opponents.
Speaking on the Lions’ Den connected by EE, he said: "Karim Benzema and Luka Modric - how quick they are on the ball, they’ve got to be up there.”
Despite having picked the two, it would somewhat be a surprise to learn that Mount has never actually been on the losing side when in direct opposition.
He started both games against Real Madrid during Chelsea’s Champions League run, scoring as Chelsea won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge following a 1-1 draw in Spain.
The midfielder also renewed rivalries with Luka Modric in England’s first group game of Euro 2020 against Croatia.
He played the full 90 minutes as Raheem Sterling’s second-half strike proved enough for victory at Wembley Stadium.
Mount has never come up against Benzema on the international stage - with the striker having only returned to the France fold for Euro 2020 - and that shows no sign of ending with Les Bleus having been eliminated by Switzerland at the Round of 16 stage.
The Chelsea star's praise for Modric comes after the Croatian praised his midfield rival as a "talented player" on the back of Real's defeat to the Blues earlier this season.
"It was a usual conversation after matches where you wish good luck to someone," Modric said after the Stamford Bridge clash.
"I wish them all the best in the final, that was it. Mason has shown during the season that he is a very talented player with lots of potential. There's a great future ahead of him. So if he keeps working and investing himself in the way he does that he will be a great player in the future, a great player in the national team."
