He will turn 39 in September and will play for the biggest football club in the world - Luka Modrić agreed to sign a new one-year contract with Real yesterday.
He put on the Madrid jersey back in 2012, he changed the way of thinking of the club with the most trophies, the army of fans and the media.
The guy from Zadar is officially among the three best signings for Real this century, along with Cristiano Ronaldo, who came for 94 million euros, and in third place is the German Toni Kroos, who came for only 2014 million in 25 and with the Croatian for one of the best "connections" in the middle of the field in the history of football.
In the grand final at "Wembley", on June 1, Real will play for the 15th title of European champions, with Modrić and Kroos, they won the 2014th title in 10. If Real defeats Borussia Dortmund, Modrić and Kroos will each win six titles in the Champions League and repeat the success of the record holder, Hent.
Not everything was ideal this season for the Croatian virtuoso, he mostly started from the bench, replacing Kroos. It was speculated that Real would give him up, especially with the already seen signing of Kylian Mbappe, but... Modrić turned the tide of the match with Bayern in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final at the "Bernabeu", in the 85th minute he saved his team's goal when Aleksandar Pavlović I ran towards the goalkeeper Lunjin, but the 38-year-old midfielder of the home team was faster, with a sprint from the opposite corner he blocked the super talented young man at the top of the penalty area.
"The great Joselu, the greatest Modrić", were the headlines of the analyzes of football experts in the Spanish media.
Joselu scored both goals in a 2:1 victory, but the fans of the "royal club" in the first subsequent home match, against Alaves, sang for only one footballer - Luka Modrić.
The same fans who chastised him after his arrival from Tottenham in a transfer that was "sanctioned" by the legendary Montenegrin footballer Predrag Mijatović, through the then coach of Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho.
"Failure, that player is a total failure, and we gave 42 million for him", were the reactions of the fans and the media in Spain during the first season in which they changed Modrić's place and he did not play in his position in the team.
Everyone at Real then wanted a ten centimeters taller and incomparably stronger player in the defensive midfield. All except Mourinho and Mijatović. Now Modrić shares the status of Real's most decorated player with as many as 25 trophies and the well-deserved Ballon d'Or for the best player in the world in 2018. Only Naćo can have 26 by winning the final at "Wembley".
And a day after the epic victory over Bayern, coach Carlo Ancelotti tasked president Florentino Peres to want Modrić and 34-year-old Kroos in the team for the next season as well. Modrić immediately accepted the offered conditions, according to the Spanish "Marka", a significantly weaker contract compared to the current one, but only slightly weaker if compared to the offers he had to change the midfield.
- Real Madrid is the best club in the world and is led by the best president in the history of football. Luka Modrić is a fan of Real Madrid, a club he loves and considers his home - explained Vladica Lemić, the agent of the famous footballer, who also said before:
- Bench? It's not pleasant, but if that's the interest of the club, I'm ready to give my best when I enter. Real's interest is most important.
And Modrić is the oldest player in the history of Real Madrid with an appearance in La Liga. Against Cadiz in a 3:0 victory, Modrić surpassed Ferenc Puskas, who played the game in 1965 at the age of 38 years and 233 days. The Croatian was five days older against Cadiz - 38 years and 238 days, and a week later he played and assisted against Granada. The record will move further, that's for sure now.
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