It was not a fairy -tale end to Luka Modric, who could have imagined, but it was emotional. When Real Madrid suffered a heavy defeat of 4-0 for Paris Saint-Germain in the semifinals of FIFA Club World Cup 10.
PSG was dominant from the beginning, raced to lead 3-0 to 24 minutes thanks to Fabian Ruiz and ous Dembele’s goals. Goncalo Ramos added the fourth late to wrap things. But even though Real Madrid fought on the pitch, all eyes turned to the bench – and the bow of Modric.
The 39 -year -old man appeared in the 64th minute, and the game was already out of reach. Yet, in a typical blue fashion, he barely put his leg badly. Calm on the ball, sharp with its passages and the head-kuous leading with accuracy-it was a short but elegant portrait, as well as many others in his incredible career.
That was his last performance in the Real Madrid shirt. In May he had a formal farewell to Bernabe, but that was real on the pitch. After the last whistle, he was accepted by his teammates and even PSG players, with an emotional moment shared with manager Xabi Alons, his former middle partner.
Modric performed in every match of the club’s World Cup outside the bench, plays limited minutes, but still brings his experience and lead to the team. Even for 39 years, his impact was clear.
Almost 600 matches, 28 trophies and 13 years in the club – it was some ride. Luka Modric may not have ended his journey Real Madrid with one last trophy, but left the field with everything that really matters: respect, love and few can match.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
10th July 2025
