I am not over Luka Modric’s departure yet. Real Madrid have just officially announced Kylian Mbappe as the heir to the Croatian’s number 10, but it will take some time to process.
Modric could have easily stayed for a few more years, at least one more if we are being practical. But Madrid’s reasoning for not extending his contract also makes sense when viewed from a collective standpoint.
Modric left as the most decorated Real Madrid player, breaking several records and creating many of his own. One streak that ends with his departure is Real Madrid having a Ballon d’Or winner in the squad every year for the past 25 years.
Luka Modric breaks 25-year Real Madrid streak
Ever since 2000, Real Madrid have not gone a single year without having a Ballon d’Or winner in the squad.
That streak began with the signing of Luis Figo in 2000. The famous Galactico era featured several Ballon d’Or winners, including Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and others.
Later, Cristiano Ronaldo carried the torch, bringing home multiple Ballon d’Ors during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Then Luka Modric won it in 2018, followed by Karim Benzema in 2022. Now, with Modric’s departure, Real Madrid will not have a Ballon d’Or winner in the squad for the first time in 25 years. That streak spanned nearly the entirety of this century so far.
The streak would have continued had Vinicius Jr won the award, but the last-minute snub unfortunately ended it.
Modric has been an exceptional servant of Los Blancos. Some would even call him the greatest midfielder to ever play for Real Madrid, and he certainly deserves to be in that conversation.
Real Madrid are yet to find a definitive replacement for the Croatian, although I believe Arda Guler is destined to fill his shoes. The two players are so similar, and Guler really brings back memories of the same hunger and passion that a young Modric once displayed.