Staff Reporter.
Real Madrid’s Croatian midfielder Luka Modric has ended speculation over his future by agreeing a new one-year deal with the club.
The 35-year-old joined Real from Tottenham for £33m in August 2012.
The veteran playmaker, 35, has played 48 times for Zinedine Zidane’s side this season and featured in all four of Real’s Champions League quarter-final and semi-final ties against Liverpool and Chelsea.
The club confirmed the news in an official statement on Tuesday, which read: “Real Madrid CF and Luka Modrić have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains with the club until June 30, 2022.”
It had been suggested that the Croatian international may want to call time on his time at the Bernabeu but speaking earlier this season, Modric insisted that retirement is not on his mind for the moment.
He said: “I’m 35 but I feel like I’m only 27. I feel great.”
“You shouldn’t look at the age, it’s all about how we perform on the pitch, regardless of age. I’m still hungry for more, to continue playing at the highest level and I feel great.”
He won the 2018 Ballon d’Or, becoming the first player other than Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to claim the award in more than a decade.
Modric will captain Croatia at Euro 2020. They face England in their opening game at Wembley on 13 June.