Real Madrid just showed Luka Modric the way out. And Modric left as arguably the best midfielder this club has ever fielded. He came as a boy hated by many and left as a man loved by all.
With his departure, he also left the number 10 behind. And Kylian Mbappe took it, he was always destined to take it. Real Madrid just made the official announcement of the baton’s transfer.
Mbappe posted the official announcement on Instagram, with him wearing the number 10 on his back, and Luka Modric made his feelings known about his successor with a fire emoji, clearly indicating his approval.
Luka Modric is probably the greatest Real Madrid #10
Some of Real Madrid’s biggest stars have donned the famed number, like Ferenc Puskas, Luis Figo, Mesut Ozil, Luka Modric, and now Mbappe. But I believe the Croatian legend is the greatest of them all to bring to the number the flair it deserved.
In the era of LM10 and CR7, the Croatian LM10 made a mark for himself. He won the Ballon d’Or and ended the duo’s dominant streak for the award. He was something special, something unique, a midfielder par excellence and a persona beyond love.
Now with Modric giving his approval of Mbappe wearing the 10 publicly, the Frenchman has just inherited another weight on his shoulders: to justify the legacy that the shirt brings with it.
He has to give it the same repute, earn the same honors for it, and live up to the name of the many who have worn it before him.
Some would say Arda Guler should have gotten the number, and I believe that he will, in sweet time. But now is not the time for him.
He has probably the best season of his Real Madrid career ahead of him, and who knows, when he becomes a regular magician for the team, the way Modric did, he may take the number from Mbappe down the line, of course after the Frenchman’s departure.
But all of that is for the years to come. For now, it is KM10, and I think we are going to love it, the way Modric did.