"With me, you never know" - Luka Modric on possible retirement

It's Luka Modric's birthday. The Croatia and Real Madrid legend brought his own present forward with a stunning free-kick goal against Poland in the UEFA Nations League the night before. After the match against Robert Lewandowski and Co., the press in his homeland asked him if he was not already considering a potential retirement now that he is approaching 40 years of age. True to his character, he postponed the decision.

“With me, you never know. We have to take it game by game. I can't think about the future now. When I no longer feel the fire in me, I will retire. Only I can feel that fire and make the decision. I'm happy to still be here to help the team achieve new victories. At my age, it's hard to predict. I won't need anyone to tell me. Until then, I'm still here,” he said on ‘TVP Sport’, one of the channels that followed the second day of the European tournament.

More focused on the development of the victory, he analysed: "I'm happy to have scored from a free kick after so long. I'm proud and happy to have reached 180 games with the national team. I never dreamed of reaching it. I'm happy to be here and to help" Modric is under contract with Real Madrid until June 30th, 2025.

Last season, Modric accepted a step back in his role under Carlo Ancelotti, who has been providing his midfield with a generational replacement that has already witnessed the retirement of Toni Kroos. The midfielder started just 23 of 46 games, but he has been in the starting line-up in one of five 'Merengues' matches this season.

 

September 8, 2024