"I will always be a 'madridista'": Real Madrid legend Luka Modric announces his departure

A thrilling Saturday afternoon at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid is guaranteed, as Real Madrid host Real Sociedad de San Sebastian on the final day of the Spanish league. The Madrid players won't save their season (zero trophies), but they will see a page of their history turn. It will be the last home game for Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, 39, who has spent a third of his life in the Whites, having first worn the shirt in 2012. The club has announced that a tribute will be paid to him.

The man with the lethal passes (and the headband from another era) announced his departure this Thursday on Instagram. "The time has come (...) On Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabeu. And even if, after the Club World Cup [from June 14 to July 13, editor's note], I will no longer wear this shirt on the pitch, I will always be a 'madridista'. I arrived in 2012 with the dream of wearing the shirt of the best team in the world and the ambition to achieve great things, but I could not have imagined everything that happened next. [...] I am proud to have been part of one of the most successful eras of one of the best clubs in history."

All that came next? 28 trophies (a record for a Real Madrid player) with the Merengues, including 6 Champions Leagues, 4 league titles, 2 Copa del Reys, and 5 Spanish Super Cups. And on an individual level, in 2018, he won the 2018 Ballon d'Or, breaking the dominance of Argentina's Lionel Messi and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, to cap a season that saw him named World Cup Player of the Year despite losing the final to France.

In a statement released minutes after the player's announcement, Real Madrid thanked "one of the greatest legends of the club and of world football." "Luka Modric will forever remain in the hearts of all Madrid fans as a unique and exemplary footballer who always represented the values ​​of Real Madrid. His legacy will be etched in his memory forever," said Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Despite a certain decline on the pitch, and a role as a luxury substitute over the past three seasons, the Merengue number 10 has so far continued to put off a potential departure. According to the Spanish press, he wanted to extend his contract for another year until 2026 and retire after the World Cup, for which he has yet to qualify with his national team, of which he remains the legendary captain and indispensable playmaker, despite his age.

His departure, which follows that of his coach Carlo Ancelotti , the next Brazil coach, and the retirement of his former midfield partner Toni Kroos, marks the end of an era at Real. That of Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Casillas, Ramos, Kroos, Marcelo, Carvajal... Everyone will be able to say that one day, Luka Modric, the man who seems to be able to control the ball, sent them an insane pass.