When your teammates start calling you “Dad”, perhaps it’s time to move on.

In fairness to Rodrygo, Luka Modrić is only one year younger than his actual father and enjoyed several seasons working in tandem with his soccer son in Real Madrid’s first team rather than the family back garden. Yet, for a man who is 45 days older than Wayne Rooney, “the time has come”.

After 13 years, 28 trophies, 590 appearances and at least twice as many passes with the outside of his right boot, Modrić has announced that he will leave Real Madrid after this summer’s Club World Cup.

The overriding reaction on social media was not shock—Modrić was six weeks away from the end of his contract with no renewal announced—but sadness.

This flirted with the fringes of anger for some.

But many chose to fondly remember the quality of player who didn’t boast a physical edge over any opponent, but always seemed to be one step ahead.

”Many soccer players come here for diagnoses,” Vlatko Vucetic, a professor of kinesiology who has studied the body of athletes for decades at the University of Zagreb, told The Athletic in 2024. “Over 25 years, I have seen taller players, faster players, more explosive players, and Luka is not exceptional in that way. But in his cognitive process, intelligence and character, he is.”

Some forward-thinking fans turned their attention to the Club World Cup, the last tournament Modrić will play for Real Madrid.

After Real Madrid lifted the Intercontinental Cup in December, Kylian Mbappé was stunned to discover Modrić’s trophy haul for the club stood at 28. “More than my age,” the Frenchman laughed.

“I hope to win another one for him and for everyone who is here.” After missing out on the trio of domestic trophies, Mbappé’s final chance to get Modrić up to 29 will come in the U.S. this summer.

READ THE LATEST REAL MADRID NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE


This article was originally published on www.si.com as X Reacts to Luka Modric’s Emotional Real Madrid Announcement.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate