When you think of Real Madrid, the name of Luka Modric will always be front and centre for most football fans.
The Croatian is still going strong and cementing his legendary status at Los Blancos, however, he’s not playing as much as supporters of the club are used to.
Seeing a Real Madrid midfield without Modric in it is a strange sensation indeed.
‘Carlo Ancelotti has said that Modric isn’t happy with the current situation in terms of playing time,’ CaughtOffside columnist, Fabrizio Romano, wrote in his exclusive Daily Briefing.
‘Seeing him on the bench… it feels strange to even mention it… not seeing Modric out on the pitch and dictating play is something completely unusual for us as football fans.’
Time waits for no man of course, and though the end of the 38-year-old’s football career might not be nigh, it’s clear that Modric doesn’t have too long left at the top level and in the game in general.
We’ve almost reached the point of ‘enjoy him while you can,’ and for fans of the Spanish giants, they might only get to do so for a little while longer.
‘Nothing is happening in terms of a transfer right now because, as Ancelotti said, there’s no plan for him to leave in January, but in the summer it will be a different story,’ Romano continued.
‘He’s out of contract in June and interest from Saudi/MLS has been there for a long time. So we will see.’
Real Madrid will continue to evolve of course. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Casemiro have all left in the recent past, allowing others to take flight and spread their wings at one of the biggest clubs in the world.
No player is bigger than the club but it’s clear that Luka Modric will leave an indelible mark on the history of this proud and storied European giant.