The Croatia international signed the contract as soon as he was on the table, although that meant taking a 10 per cent pay cut and bowing to the club’s desire to take things one year at a time.
Luka Modric will be at Madrud for ten years
For Luka Modric, there was no room for doubt: Real Madrid is the club where he wants to be, and there is no better place to be. The Croatia international signed the contract as soon as he was on the table, although that meant taking a 10 per cent pay cut and bowing to the club’s desire to take things one year at a time. “It means a lot to me, and it fills me with pride. It means that I will be here for ten years, which I did not suppose because I was 27 years old when I signed with Madrid, and the requirements for this club are huge if you deserve to stay,” Modric told Real Madrid TV.
“There is nothing better than being a Real Madrid player, playing at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. There is nothing better. Everyone wants to come here, and I will be here for ten years.”
The midfielder looks forward to the challenges yet to come but has naturally reflected on some of his many successes with Los Blancos. “There are many beautiful things: winning the 10th Champions League and winning the double in 2016/17 was great,” Modric said. “2018 was beyond belief on a personal level; the UEFA Champions League final I enjoyed the most was Cardiff in 2017. What Real Madrid have done in these nine years is unrealistic. I didn’t expect that.” Real Madrid won their third consecutive Champions League in 2018, and Modric explained how Zinedine Zidane helped motivate the team in advance. “Zidane showed us videos of sporting dynasties, basketball, American football,” said Modric. “He told us if anyone could win that much in a row, it’s Real Madrid, and we did it.”