Photo by Slobodan Kadic
June 6, 2023 – A Real Madrid official reports that Croatia national team captain Luka Modrić (37) has signed a new one-year contract with the Spanish club until June 30, 2024.
Index.hr reports that he will be the second captain of the Spanish club next season, as a Real Madrid official revealed to Hina. “Luka already has signed a contract until June 30, 2024. He is our second captain,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
On Tuesday, Modrić stayed at the club’s camp in the northern suburbs of Madrid and attended the farewell media conference of captain Karim Benzema (35). The French striker is moving to Saudi Al Ittihad after 14 years. After the event, Modrić said goodbye to the club officials and got ready to leave Madrid. “He will not come here until the start of preparations for next season,” the official said.
Modrić, whose contract with Real expired this month, goes to the national team gathering in peace. They will visit Pope Francis at the Vatican on Friday and then go to the Netherlands, where they will play in the Nations League finals from June 14 to 18. Real Madrid is currently busy with other players and is unsure of when they will announce the news about Modrić’s contract extension.
Next week, they could organize a press conference at the sports camp regarding the contract extension of Nacho Fernandez (33), one of the five players whose contract expires at the end of the month. Nacho, a defender who has been playing for the first team since 2011, has the longest tenure, so he will be the captain next season.
But considering that he is a reserve player, Modrić will wear the captain’s armband on the pitch if he keeps his place in the starting line-up. The Croatian midfielder played in 52 games this season under the leadership of coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti will gather the players again in the club camp on July 10 and nine days later take them to the USA for training. There they will play friendly matches against Milan, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Juventus.
In August, the expedition returns to Madrid to open the Spanish championship and work to take the title back from Barcelona. Modrić, who will turn 38 in September, will continue to be Real Madrid’s oldest player.
He will compete for minutes with fellow juniors Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Dani Ceballos, who is also set to extend his contract until June 30. There is also the veteran Toni Kroos. It is possible that the management will buy another midfielder this summer, and the media speculate that it could be Jude Bellingham (19) from Borussia Dortmund.
Modrić has won 23 trophies since wearing the Real Madrid jersey in the summer of 2012. In the upcoming season, he will have the opportunity to overtake Benzema and Brazilian defender Marcelo, who each won 25 trophies, the most in the 121 years of Real Madrid’s existence.
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