Luka Modric will leave Real Madrid, as previously revealed. The situation is tragic, and I am confident that every Real Madrid fan will reflect on the legend's exemplary career.
The departure was unavoidable; we knew it would happen eventually, but we didn't expect it to happen this season. Another year was expected because, despite his age, Modric was by far Real Madrid's best midfielder. Aside from Arda Guler, he was the only Real Madrid midfielder who remained injury-free.
However, his quality was not an issue. According to Diario AS, Real Madrid wanted Modric to depart because they believed that extending his stay would hinder Arda Guler's development.
According to the report, Los Blancos did not want to renew Modric's contract because they wanted to focus on the growth of Arda Guler and, in the future, Nico Paz, whom Real Madrid are strongly contemplating bringing back.
There is some logic in Real Madrid's reasoning but one more season wouldn't hurt
I believe that speeding up Arda Guler's development is an understandable decision. The teenager has shown enormous potential, and with Carlo Ancelotti, it was evident that he could have performed far better if the manager had given him more opportunities.
And so, to ensure that there were no further impediments to Guler's progress, Real Madrid chose to let Modric go, which makes sense to some extent.
But the thing that contradicts is that Real Madrid did not have a midfielder of Luka Modric's quality this season; Fede Valverde came close, but those are two distinct styles we are talking about. So using Modric's age as a consideration is not reasonable because the player simply surpassed those younger than him.
Modric's performance has simply improved over the last half-decade. He has served as the midfield's backbone, a superb leader and captain, and an overall mentor to others. He was in prime position to stay at the top of his game for another season, but Real Madrid did not want to delay the development of the other young possibilities any longer, and their decision is understandable.
As things are, Modric is leaving. All I can do is reason and possibly weep.