Luka Modric, Real Madrid legend, announces his departure – Liberation
Huge emotion guaranteed, Saturday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid where Real receives the Real Sociedad in San Sebastian on the last day of the Spanish Championship. Madrilenians will not save their season (zero trophy), but will see a page in their history turn. It will be the last home match of the Croatian midfielder Luka Modric 39 years old, who spent a third of his life in the white jersey, worn for the first time in 2012. The club announced that a tribute would be paid to him
The man with lethal passes (and in the headband of another era) announced his departure this Thursday on Instagram. « The time came (…) on Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabeu. And even if, after the World Cup club (from June 14 to July 13, editor’s note), I will no longer wear this jersey on the field, I will always be “Madridista”. I arrived in 2012 with the dream of wearing the jersey for the best team in the world and the ambition to achieve great things, but I could not imagine everything that happened next. (…) I am proud to have been part of one of the most victorious eras of one of the best clubs in history. »»
Everything that happened next? 28 trophies (a record for a Real player) with the Merengue, including 6 Champions Leagues, 4 championships, 2 King’s Cups and 5 super-cuts from Spain. And on an individual level, in 2018, the 2018 Ballon d’Or – he broke the hegemony of the Argentinian Lionel Messi and the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, to crown a season which saw him designated best player of the World Cup despite the defeat in the final against France.
In a press release published a few minutes after the player’s announcement, Real wanted to thank « One of the largest legends of the club and world football ». “Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all“ Madridida ”as a unique and exemplary footballer, who has always represented the values of Real Madrid. Its inheritance will remain engraved forever ”reacted President Madrid Florentino Perez.
Despite a certain decline in the field, and a role of luxury replacement in the last three seasons, the n ° 10 Merengue has so far continued to repel a potential departure. He wanted, according to the Spanish press, to extend once more by an additional year until 2026 and retire after the World Cup for which he still has to qualify with his selection, of which he remains the legendary captain and essential playmaker, despite his age.
His departure, who follows that of his coach Carlo Ancelottinext Brazil coach and the retirement of his ex-condom in midfielder Toni Kroos, marks the end of an era in Real. That of the Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Casillas, Ramos, Kroos, Marcelo, Carvajal … All will be able to say that one day, Luka Modric, the man who seems to remote the ball, sent them an insane pass.
