"He's going to be 39 years old" - Ex-Real Madrid star believes it's time for club legend Luka Modric to retire
Real Madrid legend Predrag Mijatovic has said that midfielder Luka Modric is on the cusp of retirement. The 38-year-old recently extended his stay at Santiago Bernabeu for a year.
Modric is a bonafide Los Blancos legend, having arrived at the club from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2012 and winning big titles galore. Last season, he won a record sixth UEFA Champions League - all with Madrid - joining club teammates Toni Kroos, Nacho Fernandez and Dani Carvajal in the exclusive club.
The Croatian, though, wasn't a regular first-team starter for Carlo Ancelotti's side last season as Los Blancos won three titles, including a second La Liga-UEFA Champions League double in three years.
Notably, Modric had an offer from Saudi Arabia but opted to reject the lucrative deal to stay on at the Bernabeu. Mijatovic said on Cadena Ser (as per Forbes):
"Luka had an offer from Saudi Arabia, and he rejected it, this summer he has also had offers for a lot of money but he has decided to stay. He has already made up his mind that he is no longer an undisputed starter. He realised that last season and he already knows that he is not a starter.
"He's going to be 39 years old, and I think he's close to retiring from Real Madrid, I don't know if he'll make it to the World Cup, you never know and with Luka even less, but I think it's time to retire, and if it can be at Madrid even better."
He concluded:
"For someone who has been at a club for so many years, that development was "very shocking. I think that at the beginning of December he realised the situation and from that moment on his objective was to help at any time he could".
Modric has won a joint-record 26 titles at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid legend Luka Modric creates history at Euro 2024
Real Madrid legend Luka Modric has had a decent Euro 2024 campaign with Croatia, who crashed out in the group stage after failing to finish among the four best third-placed sides.
Not quite renowned for his prolific goalscoring, Modric scored a potentially pivotal strike in the third group game with defending champions Italy. However, seconds away from a confirmed knockout place as group runner-ups, Croatia conceded a stoppage-time equaliser, which eventually eliminated them from knockout contention.
Nevertheless, the goal made Luka Modric the oldest player to score in the Euros and one of only three players - Cristiano Ronaldo (5) and Robert Lewandowski (4) - to score in at least four editions.