Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Semi Final - Paris St Germain v Real Madrid - MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S. - July 9, 2025 Real Madrid's Luka Modric REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey (Reuters) -Luka Modric's illustrious Real Madrid career ended with a painful 4-0 thrashing by Paris St Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals but the Croatian maestro's legacy stretches far beyond a single game, manager Xabi Alonso said.
Modric, the 2018 Ballon d'Or winner and the Spanish club's most decorated player, is set to join AC Milan after playing his final game for Real at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Wednesday.
Since his arrival from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012, the 39-year-old played 597 games and won 28 trophies with Real, including six Champions League titles.
"This is not the desired end, it's a bitter end, but he won't be remembered for today's game but for other great ones," Alonso, who shared the pitch with Modric as teammates during his playing days at Real, told reporters on Wednesday.
"He's a legend of world football and of Real Madrid. He'll be remembered for many more good things than for the 25 minutes he played today."
Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Modric will leave a void.
"Modric always gets a standing ovation, not only from the Madridistas. He's a great player, a great teammate and we'll miss him," the Belgian said.
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Goa; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
