The Croatian magician is running out of legs, and needs to leave Santiago Bernabeu with some dignity remaining
We can all remember the pass. Luka Modric receives the ball on the half-turn, in a little pocket of space between Chelsea's midfield and defensive lines. He doesn't really look up before playing it, into Rodrygo's path at the far post. And then there's the execution: outside of the foot, into stride, Rodrygo tucks it away. Real Madrid salvage their Champions League quarter-final, make it all the final and lift the trophy. That gorgeous assist was one of many turning points along the way.
Modric was 35 when he played that teasing ball, and back then, it was just further evidence that he really was ageless. Madrid's Toni Kroos-Modric-Casemiro midfield was coming to its end, but the Croatian clearly still had a few years left in him.
Modric did remain a key cog in Los Blancos' midfield for two further seasons, playing the big games while keeping his ageing body ticking over in the lesser ones. But now, things have changed. Modric looks tired, and he can't be counted on in the same way. And in a season during which Madrid's midfield has collapsed, so too has the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner.
Modric is by no means a liability, but the eye test confirms what the stats suggest: he is old, and he would do well to leave Madrid while he still has enough football in him to depart with dignity.
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This is by no means an indictment on Modric, nor necessarily a criticism of his game. He is a truly brilliant footballer, and somehow underappreciated despite the fact that he kept the Madrid midfield ticking for the best part of a decade. He broke the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo stranglehold on the Ballon d'Or – and deservedly so. His consistent excellence at major tournaments for Croatia have helped carry otherwise average sides to within touching distance of silverware.
He never really tired, nor did he complain. Casemiro was the enforcer of that Madrid midfield trio, the baby-faced traction engine who would crush everything that moved. Kroos was the vocal sceptic, dictating the tempo before giving snappy interviews after. Modric did all of the classy bits in between; he let his game do the talking, all the time setting an example. It is what has allowed him to age so gracefully.
When it became clear in the 2022-23 campaign that he was no longer a starter, Modric accepted a limited role with grace. He played 300 minutes fewer the following year, and was effectively just chucked into the side for the big games. He delivered every time, an hour of pure quality against Atletico Madrid or Barcelona one week, followed by 30 minutes of composure against Villarreal or Getafe the next.
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Year by year, those minutes have decreased, Modric's cameos less frequent. He started just 16 games in La Liga this season, and half of Madrid's Champions League contests. His omission from the XI in two must-win games against Manchester City pretty much summed up his place in the pecking order.
It's been a messy campaign in Madrid, one that you'd imagine everyone is pretty happy to see come to a close. They have been battered by Barcelona in the race for La Liga, ousted by Arsenal in the Champions League, and have just the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA's Intercontinental Cup to show for the signing of Kylian Mbappe. They missed the hell out of Kroos, could never find the right balance in a system where Vinicius Jr and Mbappe never fully pulled their weight, and Jude Bellingham looked first hurt, then irritated and later entirely unbothered by the concept of playing football.
Modric is not to blame for any of this. In fact, this is a Madrid side that even he cannot make better. Los Blancos lack legs and athleticism – two things Modric, at 39, does not possess. It is no wonder that Ancelotti has used him on fewer occasions. But more broadly, it is perhaps indicative of where this team is going. Madrid have three mavericks in their side, and need willing runners around them. It's why Fede Valverde is so important to their future prospects.
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Everything, then, would point to Modric moving on as his contract enters its final weeks. There is, though, one problem: Modric doesn't want to go. He is just over three months from his 40th birthday, and all of the talk from the Spanish back pages has suggested that he is eager to work with new Madrid manager Xabi Alonso for at least one more season.
In the abstract, that sounds quite nice, one for the football romantics: Two greats reuniting, for one last ride. But then there's the practical element to consider and Modric would do well to look towards another legendary midfielder who knew when to hang them up.
Kroos absolutely mastered the art of quitting when he was ahead, hanging up his boots at the end of the 2023-24 campaign – arguably his best in a Madrid shirt. Some were confused by the German's decision. After all, he had the chance to enjoy a few more years at the top. But Kroos knew that his best days were likely gone, and that his performance levels would only drop; there was nowhere to go but down. And with no inherent desire to play for another club, he walked away (and left Los Blancos in an immense bind in doing so – but that's not problem).
Modric might be wise to do the same. Is he good enough to play for another season in a diminished role? Maybe. But that could lead to an exit that lacks dignity. It would be better to leave while he has a little bit more in the tank.
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Madrid, too, could probably do without a 40-year-old Modric taking up a spot in their squad. It feels strange to say given they are a team that is packed full of Galacticos, but Madrid need to rebuild. They have already gotten to work on that task, bringing in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen, while they have also been linked with a number of left-backs and are rumoured to be in the market for another central midfielder. Florentino Perez's war chest is well and truly open.
This is a ruthless club with ruthless fans and a ruthless transfer strategy; there isn't room for sentiment. It's tough to see what, exactly, Modric would bring to the party. Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Valverde are all established options in midfield while Dani Ceballos might stay after a season of improvement. And even if another midfielder doesn't arrive from elsewhere, there is a chance Alexander-Arnold is given the freedom to drift into central areas too.
Modric would likely have to accept garbage time minutes, and occasionally a run out in the Copa del Rey; is that the exit that he really wants? And it's not like there is a clear path to silverware here, either. Barcelona will be favourites to win La Liga, and while Madrid are always in the mix for the Champions League, it feels like the rest of Europe's giants have closed the gap on the 15-time winners. If the goal is to leave with a medal around his neck, Modric might just be picking the hardest season to do so, all while being limited to just a handful of minutes here and there.
