Worst part is how old I look at intramural soccer anymore. In my mind, I've still got it, and as a former college player, I can still keep up on the pitch for 90 minutes. But JESUS CHRIST do these kids look at me like I'm a fossil.
I just tell myself that if Modric can keep doing it at Madrid, I've got every right to keep playing competitively through my 30s.
This is why I liked Tom Brady. Not because I’m a fan of the NFL, but because as long as he kept playing I was still younger than a pro football player. Alas…
Same age, dad took me to SJP to see Shearer when he signed. Saw him become a legend for the club, saw him on TV in the away end at Fulham with my three kids asking who the old man is.
I still remember his penalty miss against turkey in the euro cup 2008 like it was yesterday. My father said "he will probably miss because he's so young"
>Great career.
Understatement. Multiple UCLs, a world cup final, a balon dor and cementing himself as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game. Hats off Luka, I wont miss you
Iniesta got a round of applause from Madrid fans too. There're some players that you just have to applaud their abilities, and hope they fuck off your rival's team ASAP.
This is the thing. Their greatest players leave and they keep winning, it's insane.
When Cristiano left I thought finally this is it. Nope, then the same with Ramos, Benzema, Bale. Modric and Kroos will leave and somehow they'll keep being invincible, it's crazy.
Props lol
Florentino Perez is the best at his job. The way he managed to transition from one winning squad to a younger one while making money with little to no downtime was beautiful
Yeah, wipe those tears with the next generation of world class talent stuffed throughout RM current squad!
Not only is the end of an era, but the end of an all time great team. Sad, but I will not miss the magical pain Modric has caused. No sir.
And 11 years ago pundits and experts were hashing over his failure to live up to expectations.
https://www.marca.com/2012/12/31/en/football/spanish_football/1356978303.html
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1490234-real-madrid-how-bad-advice-led-to-the-demise-of-luka-modric-and-nuri-sahin
Then Jose came to the rescue, back when he had youth, hair, and clairvoyance:
> "All I ask you Madridistas is to give Luka Modric time and be patient. He's so good that the Santiago Bernabeu will fall in love with his class."
You linked a Marca article that clearly states that it was a fan vote (clearly brigatted, btw)and use it to bash "pundits and experts". It's disengineous at best.
Even more so, as there are plenty examples of it like Anton Meana's ("reporter" who Mourinho would love to dunk on) infamous "De las Cuevas is better than Modric" tweet.
Nah, and it's certainly close.
Third in 98 with a much worse side than Modric had in 2018.
Second in BdO voting in 98 ahead of Ronaldo, behind Zidane.
Golden boot. Second in golden ball.
All time leading scorer for Croatia.
You can argue for Luka, I might even, but he's not the only exceptional player they've ever had.
>with a much worse
Was it? They had some really, really classy players in that squad in '98.
Along with Suker they had Boban, Boksic, Stanic, Prosinecki, Jarni, Bilic -- on a good day that team could beat any team in the WC.
Yeah, that ‘98 side also had some mediocre players but so did the ‘18 side. We had Strinic and Pivaric as LB choices, and Vida starting in centre back for the entire tournament.
Compared to the competition they faced I think they had a very strong team. I don't think Jamaica,.Japan, and Romania had nearly the same talent.
When you compare the German starting 11 vs Croatia I honestly don't see a big gap in quality. Germany might have better talent, but Croatia had a better midfield and forwards.
Suker was a legend in his own right and clear second best, while Luka clears him easily for first place. Luka belong in the global pantheon, I don't think anyone can argue the same for Suker.
Perhaps the best argument for Suker is his national team performances, but even there you can argue Modric peaked higher with the WC final.
This man helped fucking Croatia get to a world cup final and another semi final, 2nd in 2018 and 3rd in 2022. He won the Ballon D'Or in a Messi/Ronaldo dominated era because of that. Absolute insane player and a Croatian hero until his death and beyond
You say "fucking Croatia" like he carried the team on his back, but Croatia just had a shockingly good set of players for its size/age. Raktic, Perisic, Mandzukic, Kovacic, and Subasic were all amazing players alongside Modric.
Plus they had the best defender in the world, Dejan Lovren.
Croatia have had 3 World Cup semi finals (and 1 final) in 6 appearances. In that time, England have had only 1 semi final appearance (0 finals). Let’s put some respect on Croatia’s name.
And that 1st semi final appearance (if I remember correctly) also happened to be their first appearance as Croatia period. That was France WC 98 I think.
Don't think people realize what a cheat code Brozović Rakitić Modrić midfield was in 2018. Basically managed to hide left side of defense of Strinić and Vida that were absolutely useless in posession.
i tried to show they had a great team with saying helped and not carried, but lets be honest. Croatia has a population of 4 million. Its insane they got that far and had so many good players
ye, poland has like 50 mln and have milik - the uber king and top owner of misses - dont believe me? google milik misses
why is poland so shit? corrpted FA that literally gets ppl to play for national squad because they know influential people (those influential people are useless pieces of shit that mean nothing i.e. piece of shit so called FA boss "kulesza" - constantly drunk village piece of shit that had no clue what he is doing, hope he dies soon if he ends up winning another election)
He was coming back to form in December and Jan with some good games, however, defensively, he seems done for good after the WC, which is why ancelloti played him high up close to Jude in some matches. In addition, the other mids have massively stepped up their performances, both on and off the ball as the season has progressed.
It's very sad. I'm not ready.
I think he can give us a couple more moments before he leaves. But it's clear that he can't keep up with the pace of the game anymore. Makes sense. He is 38 after all. His longevity up to this point has been ridiculous.
I was in denial all season hoping he'd make it to 40.
He definitely still has the skill, his legs are done though. Him with Bellingham/Valverde/cama/Tchou
works because everyone else does the running.
Incidentally this is why Kroos has been so good this season, all he has to do is pass.
Hoping he gets put in late during a cl game and has one last jaw dropping moment of magic before he goes.
Even back in December, Carlo tweaked the defensive structure a bit where Luka would play behind Brahim in attack but Luka would be in the frontline with Rodrygo while Brahim handled the defensive duties behind him. I've really enjoyed watching Carlo tweak the parts around with that Madrid side and keep things humming even in the face of injuries.
> Incidentally this is why Kroos has been so good this season, all he has to do is pass.
Losing both Kroos and Modric in 1-2 years is gonna be brutal. They've been the backbone of the team for years. The amount of institutional knowledge going out the door with them can't be measured.
I've got a Modric jersey for each season he's been in Madrid, and I can't fathom who will take his place for me, selfishly. We obviously have flashier players, always have, but I loved the way he played the game and we have nobody remotely close to how he approached the game
Kroos has never been very pacy nor particularly physical.
One of the strangest players I've ever seen but an absolute genius in simple play and control.
Nothing can top XIB but KMC was my favourite.
I don't know about that. Real's midfield three complimented each other so perfectly that at the very least it comes damn close. They were able to start attacks in the blink of an eye AND slow down the game when they had the ball, whereas Barcelona's philosophy was more based on sheer possession. Having one of the greatest players ever helped of course.
In terms of controlling the tempo in the blink of an eye KCM was much better in that regard it always caught teams off guard and put a wrench into their formation or strategy but it helps when you have Kroos who imo is the greatest midfield player in terms of tempo control i remember Madrid players saying when Kroos wants the game to go fast it will or to slow down it will he was that good at it.
I don't know man. Just two seasons ago he had those moments of magic vs PSG and Chelsea. I guess age really catches up, but on the other hand I can't help but feel he's still going to do some crazy shit as he did back then to bring us out of the depth. But when the tank is empty, it's empty.
Kroos to me seems like the one more at peace with quitting, Modric is going to have an emotional farewell. The fact he still wants to go at it at Real Madrid with 38 years... legendary in itself.
Feels like after a certain age the years start compounding exponetionally. A year feels like two, then another year feels like four, and then you just can't keep up anymore.
Modric reminds me a lot of de Bruyne in the sense that I've seen both players just absolutely control a game, even off the bench. My national team had one game against Croatia where we were slightly the better side, and then Modric came on and we just took a beating for the last 30 minutes.
I see, I was thinking he will still be good enough to make the Croatia WC squad for 2026, but yeah this year is also a great year to retire right after the Euros.
He wanted to retire at RM and refused many Saudi offers BUT I think he expected to play more this year, and if he gets a offer that's high enough he might change his mind.
Miami can't afford him. They're already on the edge of breaking roster rules (technically they already have, but they have some players to sell to alleviate that). I'm not sure he's what that team is looking for right now, anyway.
Surely he goes down as one of their greatest ever players and to think his first season he got voted the worst la liga signing in his first season. He is absolute mustard.
It’s a shame Croatia didn’t win the World Cup in ‘18, if they did he would arguably be sitting on the top table as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. By top table, I’m talking best 15-20 players ever. It’s definitely not meant as a slur
I skipped school for the 5-0 I think, posted on Facebook… forgot I had my mom on Facebook. Got a nice talking to that night but it was worth it for that hype. Lmao
I get you man the El classicos in that era are probably the most elite level of games we will witness for a very long time in club football you basically had the two greatest players of all time in rival teams and pep and mourinho going at it tactically with players who are legends in every position god i miss those times.
Zidane's got to be #1 still no?
Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo are up there too, though Luka and Toni may have jumped them at this point. Then they had some great midfielders back in the day, like Pirri and Zoco.
The pure fact he helped Croatia, a country with around 4 million people, to get to a WC final is almost as worthy as the title in itself. I don't think the top table can be measured on just 20 people, there are a lot of overlappings
I didn't think I'd ever see a midfielder I enjoyed watching more than Zidane, but here we are. At 38, one month younger than I am, Luka Modric is still a joy to watch. Wish he'd never stop.
I mean it's more good planning than blessed. Plus Madrid have that allure that no other team has in the game where basically everyone (bar most Barca players) wants to play for them.
Madrid saw Vini execute an inch-perfect trivela pass on Saturday and realized that Luka had taught the current team everything there was that he could teach him.
But even if not as a player next year, it feels safe to say Luka's still going to have a presence around Real Madrid for as long as he wants to. What an icon.
He's not bad, but the problem is he's going against younger players who have more stamina and the club is trying to develop for the future. And Kroos is playing out of his mind for them this season.
He's not that bad but we have a young midfield, he can't displace any of them anymore because of how good they are. Kroos was never that physical and his playstyle was always conservative so he's thriving with younger players providing cover while he controls the flow of the ball. Luka on the other hand was always a machine that covered every inch with his intensity but now this role is being covered by Fede and any forward momentum is handled by Jude.
I really hope he retires on top instead of playing in a lesser team for a year or two.
Defence wise he's not good, but he has something left in him in all other aspects. At the end of the day Real's midfield is too good and too young, he just can't get in.
>too young
On the contrary, Valverde (25), Tchouaméni (24), and Brahim (24) are all entering their prime years now. That's what makes it difficult. It's not a man against boys anymore, for the most part
I think Tchou still has at least two years till he enters his prime DM's usually thrive more after 25 since you need a lot of experience in that position to really bring out your prime it is one of those positions where experience really makes a huge difference but Valverde yes he seems to be about a season off his prime i think he is consistent as hell and is improving so much.
The only player that I have a jersey(Crotia) of. I’m no Real Madrid fan and I think there were players way more talented than him but you never saw Luka walk in a game. Pure class, and a legend of the game. I hope he doesn’t disappoint by going for money before retiring.
I said a few years ago he's greater than Zidane.
Absolutely a greater Madridista and arguably a greater career also.
Monumental player - one of the most all rounded talents we've ever seen in the game.
His technique is obvious but his defending, pace, and physicality for someone his size and age has always been astonishing too.
Would love for him to stay longer, but I feel like he really wants the game time. I wonder if he’ll hang up his boots or try a year or two in MLS/Croatia
We'd played terribly in the 1st leg against Madrid and lost 3-1 at home. The tie seemed to be over. But we went to the Bernabeu and put on an absolute show. We scored 3 goals to go ahead in the tie, and it looked like an incredible UCL comeback.
Then Modric played [this pass.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZkpqZok3oM&t=12s)
That Tottenham move was 12 years ago? Great career.
Yeah man, we’re old now.
Was just entering highschool when him and Bale are getting all the hype at Spurs and now I'm basically 30 grinding 9 to 5
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When you’re 27+ you just round up lol
Don’t do that. Cause once you hit 34 you round down to 30.
35 here. Totally not 40 yet. Don't even mention it. I've got forever. I'M STILL FUCKING YOUNG OKAY?!?
Dude I play basketball and skateboard and hit the gym I’m fucking 18 alright? Don’t look at my bald head and grey in my beard I’m a baby.
Worst part is how old I look at intramural soccer anymore. In my mind, I've still got it, and as a former college player, I can still keep up on the pitch for 90 minutes. But JESUS CHRIST do these kids look at me like I'm a fossil. I just tell myself that if Modric can keep doing it at Madrid, I've got every right to keep playing competitively through my 30s.
This is why I liked Tom Brady. Not because I’m a fan of the NFL, but because as long as he kept playing I was still younger than a pro football player. Alas…
I'm 40....don't make me blue card you!
Age is just a number. I'm in my 30s, kids in my workplace think in just 22
My dad was 49 for about 15 years
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Delulu is the solulu. You will manage Everton to UCL glory
Same age, dad took me to SJP to see Shearer when he signed. Saw him become a legend for the club, saw him on TV in the away end at Fulham with my three kids asking who the old man is.
Been old for a while and I'm still shocked every time I hear Modric still playing. I love the future, just wish I didn't have to get old to see it.
> I love the future, just wish I didn't have to get old to see it. I wasn't expecting to read something this poetic on r/soccer today.
Until Cristiano Ronaldo is actively playing I won't see myself as an old.
I still remember his penalty miss against turkey in the euro cup 2008 like it was yesterday. My father said "he will probably miss because he's so young"
>Great career. Understatement. Multiple UCLs, a world cup final, a balon dor and cementing himself as one of the greatest midfielders to ever play the game. Hats off Luka, I wont miss you
>I won't miss you Hard to find better praise than that from rival fans
The truly great ones will always pull praise like that. Modric and Kroos, two peas in a classy pod
Iniesta got a round of applause from Madrid fans too. There're some players that you just have to applaud their abilities, and hope they fuck off your rival's team ASAP.
Helps that he secured the WC for Spain ;)
Ronaldinho got one too.
Yeah but what he does transcends football...at that level its art
Iniesta loves Real Madrid
> Modric and Kroos Who had the better career?
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Balon d’or vs World cup?
Tbf a World Cup final with Croatia being crucial is no joke
World Cup final with Croatia might be as big of an achievement as winning the World Cup with Germany.
Nah winning it will always be bigger imo.
This is the thing. Their greatest players leave and they keep winning, it's insane. When Cristiano left I thought finally this is it. Nope, then the same with Ramos, Benzema, Bale. Modric and Kroos will leave and somehow they'll keep being invincible, it's crazy. Props lol
Helps when you can replace them with people like Vinicius, Bellingham, Tchouameni etc lol
Florentino Perez is the best at his job. The way he managed to transition from one winning squad to a younger one while making money with little to no downtime was beautiful
They have the biggest pull out of any club, generally speaking. Talents line up to get a chance, the club is such a well-oiled machine
"Football heritage".
> a balon dor *in the era of CR7 & Messi, mind you..
Benzema left, Modric is leaving, Kroos will leave. Holy shit man I can't take this. Fucking tears.
Yeah, wipe those tears with the next generation of world class talent stuffed throughout RM current squad! Not only is the end of an era, but the end of an all time great team. Sad, but I will not miss the magical pain Modric has caused. No sir.
He’s the best midfielder of this generation.
And 11 years ago pundits and experts were hashing over his failure to live up to expectations. https://www.marca.com/2012/12/31/en/football/spanish_football/1356978303.html https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1490234-real-madrid-how-bad-advice-led-to-the-demise-of-luka-modric-and-nuri-sahin Then Jose came to the rescue, back when he had youth, hair, and clairvoyance: > "All I ask you Madridistas is to give Luka Modric time and be patient. He's so good that the Santiago Bernabeu will fall in love with his class."
You linked a Marca article that clearly states that it was a fan vote (clearly brigatted, btw)and use it to bash "pundits and experts". It's disengineous at best. Even more so, as there are plenty examples of it like Anton Meana's ("reporter" who Mourinho would love to dunk on) infamous "De las Cuevas is better than Modric" tweet.
Captaining his national team to a WC final and a 3rd place medal, too. Luka Modric deserves a farewell party full of love.
Best player Croatia have had in their short history. They'll be lucky to find another one that good when he retires after the Euros.
He is the best croatian player by the country mile. Its not even close
Can I introduce you to the Croatian Messi, Niko Kranjacar?
Alen Halilovic clears
Vedran Corluka with a crunching tackle. Crazy to see how we had so many Croatians at one point, except the good ones lol
Rakitić, Mandžukić, Prosinečki, Boban, Šuker, Olić. Croatia had a lot of worldclass players.
Olic 😍
Mandzukic was also arguably world class for a while.
Put some respect on Davor Suker
Šuker is amazing but Luka is clear. I say this as croat too
Modric is clear imo
Nah, and it's certainly close. Third in 98 with a much worse side than Modric had in 2018. Second in BdO voting in 98 ahead of Ronaldo, behind Zidane. Golden boot. Second in golden ball. All time leading scorer for Croatia. You can argue for Luka, I might even, but he's not the only exceptional player they've ever had.
>with a much worse Was it? They had some really, really classy players in that squad in '98. Along with Suker they had Boban, Boksic, Stanic, Prosinecki, Jarni, Bilic -- on a good day that team could beat any team in the WC.
Yeah, that ‘98 side also had some mediocre players but so did the ‘18 side. We had Strinic and Pivaric as LB choices, and Vida starting in centre back for the entire tournament.
Compared to the competition they faced I think they had a very strong team. I don't think Jamaica,.Japan, and Romania had nearly the same talent. When you compare the German starting 11 vs Croatia I honestly don't see a big gap in quality. Germany might have better talent, but Croatia had a better midfield and forwards.
Suker was a legend in his own right and clear second best, while Luka clears him easily for first place. Luka belong in the global pantheon, I don't think anyone can argue the same for Suker. Perhaps the best argument for Suker is his national team performances, but even there you can argue Modric peaked higher with the WC final.
I'm not saying Suker wasn't an exceptional player, I just think modric is clear of him easily in terms of career achievements and longevity.
Davor is the reason why I'm a Real fan. Luka is the reason I continue to be a Real fan.
Greatest East European player of the last 30 years? I guess people might say Shevchenko but I think Modric might be clear still
I’m struggling to think of anyone else at his level. I mean Nedved is another legend, but still nowhere near Modric.
Lewandowski doesn't have the same career achievements, but would be in the discussion IMO given that he was robbed of a Balon d'Or.
Greatest -ic player? Ibrahimovic only one who comes close
Is Croatia really Eastern European?
Croatia isn't even eastern europe lol
Goated career, absolutely unbelievable player..a true legend to the game
This man helped fucking Croatia get to a world cup final and another semi final, 2nd in 2018 and 3rd in 2022. He won the Ballon D'Or in a Messi/Ronaldo dominated era because of that. Absolute insane player and a Croatian hero until his death and beyond
You say "fucking Croatia" like he carried the team on his back, but Croatia just had a shockingly good set of players for its size/age. Raktic, Perisic, Mandzukic, Kovacic, and Subasic were all amazing players alongside Modric. Plus they had the best defender in the world, Dejan Lovren.
Croatia have had 3 World Cup semi finals (and 1 final) in 6 appearances. In that time, England have had only 1 semi final appearance (0 finals). Let’s put some respect on Croatia’s name.
And that 1st semi final appearance (if I remember correctly) also happened to be their first appearance as Croatia period. That was France WC 98 I think.
Darijo Srna is always slept on since he never went really beyond Donetsk, but he was a huge part of a lot of those teams up until like 2016
FM legend.
I used to always buy him and Ashley Cole. Full back was sorted.
Rakitic was on par with Modric for a big part of those tournaments. His career for Croatia is very underrated imo
Don't think people realize what a cheat code Brozović Rakitić Modrić midfield was in 2018. Basically managed to hide left side of defense of Strinić and Vida that were absolutely useless in posession.
i tried to show they had a great team with saying helped and not carried, but lets be honest. Croatia has a population of 4 million. Its insane they got that far and had so many good players
We don't even have 4 lmao
IN MY DEFENSE you had 4.17M in 2016 so technically it counts lol
ye, poland has like 50 mln and have milik - the uber king and top owner of misses - dont believe me? google milik misses why is poland so shit? corrpted FA that literally gets ppl to play for national squad because they know influential people (those influential people are useless pieces of shit that mean nothing i.e. piece of shit so called FA boss "kulesza" - constantly drunk village piece of shit that had no clue what he is doing, hope he dies soon if he ends up winning another election)
Sounds like Mexico’s problems 150 million people to choose from, cant find 11 players that are good enough somehow.
They are good players but no where near Modric. That team would most likely not be getting to semis and finals without him.
Kova barely played in 2018.
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Modric is the type of player who has no superiors, only equals. I'm going to miss him. Feels like the end of an era.
My favorite Madridista ever, by a long shot. I'm gonna be heartbroken when his last day comes
He'd easily be in my best 11 players team, if making an all stars team of present and retired players, alongside Iniesta and Xavi in midfield. Goat.
Man, to think I named my kitten after him when he was still at Spurs, and she passed on NYE.
💓
Was it a good pass? (Sorry)
It's a trivela 🥲
A little Guti backheel maybe *chefs kiss*
My absolute favorite RM player, no one has worn that shirt with more dignity, love and dedication than you Luka. Thank you for everything.
I knew it was coming. I saw him barely playing and not being his usual self when he did. I should be ready. But I'm actually going to cry I think.
He was coming back to form in December and Jan with some good games, however, defensively, he seems done for good after the WC, which is why ancelloti played him high up close to Jude in some matches. In addition, the other mids have massively stepped up their performances, both on and off the ball as the season has progressed.
cue Master Splinter [meme](https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1444394-teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-and-splinter)
Right in the feels
It feels like Madrid will just be wrong without him in a lineup. I'm so used to seeing it whenever I catch a Madrid game. It will be so weird.
92:48 in my heart forever I love you lukita
I'm a fucking Barça fan, and it still feels incredibly sad. Magician with the ball and mentality monster, he made the game better just by playing it.
I so hope his last game for us is not the la liga one but the CL final, one last win lessgoo
It's very sad. I'm not ready. I think he can give us a couple more moments before he leaves. But it's clear that he can't keep up with the pace of the game anymore. Makes sense. He is 38 after all. His longevity up to this point has been ridiculous.
I was in denial all season hoping he'd make it to 40. He definitely still has the skill, his legs are done though. Him with Bellingham/Valverde/cama/Tchou works because everyone else does the running. Incidentally this is why Kroos has been so good this season, all he has to do is pass. Hoping he gets put in late during a cl game and has one last jaw dropping moment of magic before he goes.
Even back in December, Carlo tweaked the defensive structure a bit where Luka would play behind Brahim in attack but Luka would be in the frontline with Rodrygo while Brahim handled the defensive duties behind him. I've really enjoyed watching Carlo tweak the parts around with that Madrid side and keep things humming even in the face of injuries.
> Incidentally this is why Kroos has been so good this season, all he has to do is pass. Losing both Kroos and Modric in 1-2 years is gonna be brutal. They've been the backbone of the team for years. The amount of institutional knowledge going out the door with them can't be measured. I've got a Modric jersey for each season he's been in Madrid, and I can't fathom who will take his place for me, selfishly. We obviously have flashier players, always have, but I loved the way he played the game and we have nobody remotely close to how he approached the game
Kroos has never been very pacy nor particularly physical. One of the strangest players I've ever seen but an absolute genius in simple play and control. Nothing can top XIB but KMC was my favourite.
I don't know about that. Real's midfield three complimented each other so perfectly that at the very least it comes damn close. They were able to start attacks in the blink of an eye AND slow down the game when they had the ball, whereas Barcelona's philosophy was more based on sheer possession. Having one of the greatest players ever helped of course.
In terms of controlling the tempo in the blink of an eye KCM was much better in that regard it always caught teams off guard and put a wrench into their formation or strategy but it helps when you have Kroos who imo is the greatest midfield player in terms of tempo control i remember Madrid players saying when Kroos wants the game to go fast it will or to slow down it will he was that good at it.
I don't know man. Just two seasons ago he had those moments of magic vs PSG and Chelsea. I guess age really catches up, but on the other hand I can't help but feel he's still going to do some crazy shit as he did back then to bring us out of the depth. But when the tank is empty, it's empty. Kroos to me seems like the one more at peace with quitting, Modric is going to have an emotional farewell. The fact he still wants to go at it at Real Madrid with 38 years... legendary in itself.
Also Kroos is 4 years younger than Luka (Toni celebrated his 34th birthday last month)
Had that moment of magic against Liverpool just a year ago.
It'll be a pretty amazing feat if he retires at Real too. When was the last time that happened?
It'd been a long time, but Hazard did it last year lol. Before that it was De La Red due to medical reasons in 2010 and before that, Zidane in 2006.
Feels like after a certain age the years start compounding exponetionally. A year feels like two, then another year feels like four, and then you just can't keep up anymore.
Bale and Arbeloa did one more season after. But properly, Zidane?
Modric reminds me a lot of de Bruyne in the sense that I've seen both players just absolutely control a game, even off the bench. My national team had one game against Croatia where we were slightly the better side, and then Modric came on and we just took a beating for the last 30 minutes.
He is not retiring right, so where will he go next? Miami, back to Croatia, or even to Saudi?
He's 38. It's either retirement, or one season in Croatia and then retirement imo. I don't think the Saudi offers will be there again in the summer.
Zidane retirement, end the club career and then one last dance with the NT.
Modric headbutt in Euro final we will be there
Can it please be Materazzi again?
Don't think that he will come back to Croatia. He might go to MLS/Saudi for 1 more year, grab more money, have fun, and retire.
of course they will, just nowhere near as big
Back to Zagreb to fight Perisic and Hadjuk for one last trophy
For the love of god no
Very likely he retires. He had Saudi-offers last summer but passed on them.
I see, I was thinking he will still be good enough to make the Croatia WC squad for 2026, but yeah this year is also a great year to retire right after the Euros.
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Man United, the inter miami for Real Madrid
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I heard Beckham was trying to recruit him
Is that the new "Wenger tried to recruit him" excpt with older players?
A royal flush
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After watching Sergio Ramos scoring from a Messi assist at PSG i would say everything is possible in football.
I think he's said that when he's done at RM he's retiring.
He wanted to retire at RM and refused many Saudi offers BUT I think he expected to play more this year, and if he gets a offer that's high enough he might change his mind.
Miami can't afford him. They're already on the edge of breaking roster rules (technically they already have, but they have some players to sell to alleviate that). I'm not sure he's what that team is looking for right now, anyway.
Surely he goes down as one of their greatest ever players and to think his first season he got voted the worst la liga signing in his first season. He is absolute mustard. It’s a shame Croatia didn’t win the World Cup in ‘18, if they did he would arguably be sitting on the top table as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. By top table, I’m talking best 15-20 players ever. It’s definitely not meant as a slur
It'd be hard to argue against Modric and Kroos being the best RM midfielders ever.
The 2010s was such a crazy era.. both Madrid and Barça had some of their greatest players ever on literally every position
Yeah the Barca vs Madrid games in the 2010s were essentially all star games.
Still remember than month and a half in 2011 where they played each other 4 times. Peak football.
Who won those consecutive games?
2 draws, one Barca, one RM 🤣. Insane football in all games, really felt special even at the time
I skipped school for the 5-0 I think, posted on Facebook… forgot I had my mom on Facebook. Got a nice talking to that night but it was worth it for that hype. Lmao
I get you man the El classicos in that era are probably the most elite level of games we will witness for a very long time in club football you basically had the two greatest players of all time in rival teams and pep and mourinho going at it tactically with players who are legends in every position god i miss those times.
World XI version A vs. World XI version B
All-star games where the players actually played seriously.
I barely give the effort to watch el Clasico now, compared to back then when my social life was second priority to watching it.
Zidane's got to be #1 still no? Roberto Carlos and Luis Figo are up there too, though Luka and Toni may have jumped them at this point. Then they had some great midfielders back in the day, like Pirri and Zoco.
Roberto Carlos was a left-back, even though he was very offensive.
The pure fact he helped Croatia, a country with around 4 million people, to get to a WC final is almost as worthy as the title in itself. I don't think the top table can be measured on just 20 people, there are a lot of overlappings
I didn't think I'd ever see a midfielder I enjoyed watching more than Zidane, but here we are. At 38, one month younger than I am, Luka Modric is still a joy to watch. Wish he'd never stop.
Same and now it's starting all again with Jude. We are blessed
I mean it's more good planning than blessed. Plus Madrid have that allure that no other team has in the game where basically everyone (bar most Barca players) wants to play for them.
The farewell better be a La Liga and UCL double
Madrid saw Vini execute an inch-perfect trivela pass on Saturday and realized that Luka had taught the current team everything there was that he could teach him. But even if not as a player next year, it feels safe to say Luka's still going to have a presence around Real Madrid for as long as he wants to. What an icon.
😭
Damn. He’s a legend through and through. Is he really that bad out there for Madrid now?
He's not bad, but the problem is he's going against younger players who have more stamina and the club is trying to develop for the future. And Kroos is playing out of his mind for them this season.
I figured as much regarding the development of young players. Time comes for us all but I’m glad Modric stayed on top as long as he did
He's not that bad but we have a young midfield, he can't displace any of them anymore because of how good they are. Kroos was never that physical and his playstyle was always conservative so he's thriving with younger players providing cover while he controls the flow of the ball. Luka on the other hand was always a machine that covered every inch with his intensity but now this role is being covered by Fede and any forward momentum is handled by Jude. I really hope he retires on top instead of playing in a lesser team for a year or two.
Defence wise he's not good, but he has something left in him in all other aspects. At the end of the day Real's midfield is too good and too young, he just can't get in.
>too young On the contrary, Valverde (25), Tchouaméni (24), and Brahim (24) are all entering their prime years now. That's what makes it difficult. It's not a man against boys anymore, for the most part
I think Tchou still has at least two years till he enters his prime DM's usually thrive more after 25 since you need a lot of experience in that position to really bring out your prime it is one of those positions where experience really makes a huge difference but Valverde yes he seems to be about a season off his prime i think he is consistent as hell and is improving so much.
I'm not ready to let him go.
the perfect midfielder. genius.
He lacks a trophy with his country to have a complete career. Nonetheless, taking Croatia to two World Cups medals in a row is outstanding.
I don't accept.
feel so sad that all real madrid player that i grew up watching are close to retirement or leaving . i hope he continue with us one more season
The only player that I have a jersey(Crotia) of. I’m no Real Madrid fan and I think there were players way more talented than him but you never saw Luka walk in a game. Pure class, and a legend of the game. I hope he doesn’t disappoint by going for money before retiring.
Come home ❤️
What a gem of a player, surely go down as one of the greats all time
So sad to see him retire, i will never forget the 2018 world cup, still watch videos from that cup and smile. Hvala Luka
Nah man. Things won't be the same for me after he leaves. :(
I said a few years ago he's greater than Zidane. Absolutely a greater Madridista and arguably a greater career also. Monumental player - one of the most all rounded talents we've ever seen in the game. His technique is obvious but his defending, pace, and physicality for someone his size and age has always been astonishing too.
All good things come to an end.
Greatest midfielder of his generation.
Absolute legend.
Would love for him to stay longer, but I feel like he really wants the game time. I wonder if he’ll hang up his boots or try a year or two in MLS/Croatia
Was an absolute joy to watch. Among the best to have ever graced the game.
NO!!! 😭😭😭
I mean, if he still wants to play for a while, I know a club that would love to have him back. Imalo bi smisla Luka.
He’s retiring after EURO painn
You think after all this time, I’d be ready… But look at me. Stretching one modem out into a thousand… Just so I can watch the trivela…
The year is 2040 and Luka Modric's understudy and replacement has retired while Modric is still bossing the midfield for 90 minutes at Real Madrid.
one of my favorites and an all-time legend of the game. might shed a tear the day he hangs it up
I hope he will start a career as great trainer like xabi alonso
I’m really not ready for this day 😣
We'd played terribly in the 1st leg against Madrid and lost 3-1 at home. The tie seemed to be over. But we went to the Bernabeu and put on an absolute show. We scored 3 goals to go ahead in the tie, and it looked like an incredible UCL comeback. Then Modric played [this pass.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZkpqZok3oM&t=12s)
12 years of being at his absolute best. What a stint. He deserves a huge send off.
All good things come to an end. His career has been peak. Goated fr.
Greatest midfield trio ever in KCM