Real Madrid players, both active and former, have sent a farewell message to Luka Modric after he announced he will leave Santiago Bernabeu after the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. The Croatian maestro joined Los Blancos from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012.
When Luka Modric initially joined Real Madrid, he struggled to break into the first team. However, with time, he was able to cement himself as a key player for the club. He then went on to form a formidable trio with Toni Kroos and Casemiro in the midfield.
On May 22, Modric revealed on Instagram that he would play his last match at Santiago Bernabeu against Real Sociedad this Saturday. As expected, many current and former Real Madrid players trooped under the post to react to his departure.
Toni Kroos, who hung up his boots last summer, wrote:
“What a ride my friend!,” followed by a love emoji.
Jude Bellingham commented:
“Thank you for everything Brate,” followed with a sad and love emoji.
“Master forever, I love you @lukamodric10,” Brahim Diaz added.
“One of the greatest ever,” Arda Guler chimed in.
Rodrygo was unhappy with the decision, commenting “No” followed by a sad emoji.
Luka Modric has made 55 appearances this season and has scored four goals and provided nine assists across competitions.
How Luka Modric has fared so far at Real Madrid
Luka Modric made a life-changing switch to Real Madrid in 2012, putting pen to paper on a five-year contract with the Spanish club. He made his debut for Los Blancos in the second leg of the 2012 Supercopa de España final against Barcelona. He came on in the 83rd minute to replace Mesut Ozil. It was a dream debut for Modric as Real Madrid won the match 2-1, giving him his first trophy.
On November 3, 2012, the 39-year-old scored his first goal for Los Blancos in a 4-0 win over Real Zaragoza in LaLiga. Due to failure to settle into the team under the then-manager Jose Mourinho, Modric was voted the worst signing in his debut season by Spanish publication Marca.
In the following season, he established himself as one of the regular starters on the first team. He played an integral role in the club’s journey to the Champions League and Copa del Rey triumph.
He was also part of the Los Blancos team that did the three-peat in the UEFA Champions League between 2016 and 2018. Apart from the UCL and Copa del Rey, he also won LaLiga and other domestic titles. It was also at Los Blancos that he became the first player to break Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s dominance on the Ballon d’Or. In his 13 years at Real Madrid, Modric has won 28 trophies.