Ancelotti expects Modric to retire at Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti claims Luka Modric will retire at Real Madrid, comparing the 36-year-old midfielder to his former charge, AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini.

The Croatia captain has been extending his contract year-by-year for a while now. His current one, therefore, expires at the end of the season, but Real boss Ancelotti isn’t worried about losing his most creative player.

Modric joined Real from Tottenham Hotspur back in 2012 for a reported fee of €35 million, and despite being maliciously branded as ‘the worst signing of the summer’ by the Spanish press at the time, he has so far made 429 appearances for the club, scoring 31 goals and laying on 70 assists. He has helped the team win four Champions League trophies and as many FIFA Club World Cups, three UEFA Super Cups, two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey trophy, and in 2018, he won the FIFA Best Men’s Player of the Year award along with the Ballon d’Or.

“Luka Modric will finish his career here at Real Madrid,” Ancelotti said. “I don’t know when but it will happen; this is the idea of the club and Luka.”