Luka Modric has signed an extension with Real Madrid which will keep him at the Spanish giants until the end of the 2024-25 season, the club announced.
Modric had all but confirmed that he would be staying at Madrid for another year during the club’s Champions League winning celebrations.
“Thank you for your support all year. See you next season!” he told the crowd at the Bernabéu on June 2.
Modric, 38, has won six Champions Leagues and four LaLiga titles with Madrid — with a joint-record total of 26 trophies at the club — in a 12-year spell since joining from Tottenham in 2012.
He won the Ballon d’Or after leading Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final.
Modric has played a reduced but still influential role at Real Madrid this season, starting 18 LaLiga games and featuring in another 14 as a substitute.
“I’ve never had a problem with Modric,” coach Carlo Ancelotti said this month. “As well as being a top player, one of the best in the world, he’s even more spectacular as a person. We’ve never had a problem, and we never will.”
Modric made his breakthrough at Dinamo Zagreb before joining Tottenham in 2008.
After four years in north London where he emerged as one of the Premier League’s most influential midfielders, he signed for Madrid in August 2012.
The playmaker overcame early doubts from fans and the Madrid media to become one of LaLiga’s best players.
He starred in Madrid’s first Champions League win in 12 years in 2014, and went on to form a famous midfield trio with teammates Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
Modric helped Madrid win an unprecedented three back-to-back Champions League titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and remained influential when they won the competition again in 2022.
In the last two years, he has often been used as an impact substitute by coach Ancelotti, including playing a key role in the latter stages of games in this season’s run to the Champions League title.
In the summer of 2023, Modric received interest from the Saudi Pro League, but opted to stay at Madrid for another year.
