2024-08-24 15:32:30
Luka Modric wants to stay at Real Madrid for another season and is rebelling with his football against all those who are assuming that he will leave the club on June 30.
His performances against City and Barça in recent weeks show that Modric is a current player, far from the retirement that one might think given the age that appears on his ID.
The Croatian has shown, game after game, that he is a unique footballer and the debate is beginning to take hold at Real Madrid. Although almost everyone at the club took his departure for granted, his performance, his desire to continue and the fact that there has not yet been any conversation means that right now, on April 22, no scenario is ruled out.
Modric was Carlo Ancelotti’s surprise in the starting line-up for the Clasico and had an outstanding performance. With the captain’s armband, Luka was the footballing and spiritual leader of the team to end up beating Barcelona and finishing off La Liga. He played the entire match, without showing signs of weakness. Carlo preferred to take Kroos, Vini and Rodrygo off the pitch earlier, after they were badly punished in the battle at the Etihad, than to take Modric off the pitch, who insists on contradicting those who repeat time and again that he is 38 years old and his time has come to step aside.
The best number 10 in the history of Real Madrid renewed his contract a year ago after a face-to-face conversation with Florentino Perez in which the player and the president quickly sorted it out. Modric wanted to stay and the president put the same contract he had on the table. The question is whether that formula will be repeated this season. For now, the parties have not sat down to talk and what will happen with Modric’s future is unknown, although the final outcome should not be too far away in time, since the season only has a month and a half left if Los Blancos reach the Champions League final.
There is no shortage of offers
Luka has been mulling over his future for some time, with a number of offers on the table, one from Dinamo Zagreb announced in MARCA among them. Last year, Saudi Arabia tempted him with 100 million euros, but the Croatian’s priority was always to stay at Real Madrid. The scenario will be repeated again in 2024, although it is true that Luka has thought even more about his decision. Modric does not want to renew just because, but because he feels useful and important for the team. And although it is true that this season he is not playing as much as he expected, he has shown that he is still a key player for Madrid. Luka is also learning that it is not necessary to be a starter for all 60 games of the season to be an important player. And the best example we found in the last week.
Modric was decisive against City, coming off the bench in both the first and second leg. At the Bernabéu he came on with the score at 2-3 and with him on the pitch the score was 3-3. In the return leg, it was more of the same. Luka came on when City were pressing hardest and was the player who gave Madrid a bit of breathing room in extra time. Xavi can give a good account of the lesson he had in the Clásico, admitting that he was a key player in keeping Barça from having so much possession.
The Santiago Bernabéu also has no doubt that Modric deserves to stay at Real Madrid. The Croatian is given a standing ovation every game, for the affection and admiration he inspires and for his talent. Because Modric, at 38, continues to give a clinic every time he plays. Hence, his renewal is not crazy, especially if we add to his football his weight in the dressing room. In the midst of a transformation of the squad, with Mbappé on the verge of the dressing room, the young Madrid still needs the guidance of players like Modric or Toni Kroos, the references of the squad.