Croatian international Luka Modric will leave Real Madrid at the end of the Club World Cup, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner announced on Thursday.
Modric will play his final game at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday when they host Real Sociedad in their final La Liga game of the season.
The 39-year-old, who joined Los Blancos in 2012, departs as the club’s most decorated player with 29 titles across 13 years.
“The time has come. The moment I never wanted to come but that’s football, and in life everything has a beginning and an end. On Saturday I will play my last match at the Santiago Bernabeu,” Modric, who signed a one-year last season, wrote on Instagram.
“Playing for Real Madrid changed my life as a football player and as a person. I am proud to have been part of one of the most successful eras of the best club in history.
“I want to thank the club from the bottom of my heart, especially the president Florentino Perez, my team-mates, coaches and all the people who have helped me during all this time.
“Although, after the Club World Cup, I will no longer wear this shirt on the pitch, I will always be a Madridista.”
Official Announcement: Luka Modrić.
— Real Madrid C.F.
(@realmadriden) May 22, 2025
The former Tottenham midfielder made 590 appearances for Madrid, scoring 43 goals and 95 assists. He won four La Liga titles, six Champions Leagues and five Spanish Super Cup titles.
He scored four goals and provided nine assists for Madrid across 55 matches in all competitions this season, including two goals and six assists in 34 appearances in La Liga.
Modric will feature for Los Blancos in this summer’s Club World Cup in the United States, with the 15-time European champions set to face Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in their opening Group H match on 18 June.
Madrid will also face Mexico’s Pachuca and RB Salzburg of Austria in the group stage.
