Despite their team winning the La Liga title and now preparing to play the UEFA Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on 1st June, Real Madrid fans would have been rather sad in the last two days as Toni Kroos announced his decision to retire after the UEFA EURO 2024.
Thus, this summer will see the 10-year association, filled to the brim with silverware and trophies, between the Spanish club and the German maestro end. Furthermore, it is not yet clear whether Kroos will be the only star to leave Real Madrid this summer, as Nacho is also expected to say his goodbyes to the club in the coming days.
However, not everything is gloomy in this aspect, as MARCA reports that Luka Modric and Real Madrid have already agreed to extend their association for another year, and the Croat will continue wearing the white jersey for the next season.
One of the factors that led to this extension for the legendary midfielder was the decision of Toni Kroos to retire this summer, as earlier it seemed highly likely that Modric would not be a Real Madrid player next season.
While every Merengue fan will be happy with this turn of events, the individual who will feel this happiness the most will be Carlo Ancelotti, who will be breathing a sigh of relief for being able to retain at least one of the highly reliable veterans in his squad.
Meanwhile, Modric also understands that he will not have as prominent a role in the team as he once had, and has accepted a less conspicuous role after a chat with Ancelotti.
Another motivation for Modric to continue at Real Madrid was to become the oldest player to play with the team, an honor that is currently held by Ferenc Puskas, who played for Real Madrid at 39 years and 1 month of age, while the Croat can reach this achievement in September.
Florentino Perez was one of the most influential individuals in this deal, as he took charge of the situation himself, and everything ended perfectly for all the parties involved.
But even if there had been no agreement between the two parties, Modric was not expected to end his playing career, and people close to him believe that the Croat will actually be looking to keep playing till the 2026 FIFA World Cup.