Modric won 28 trophies during his 13-year tenure at the Spanish capital, and that includes six Champions League titles and four La Liga accolades. However, departing from the club was tough for him, as he mentioned: "Honestly, it wasn't easy, because I spent 13 years, almost half of my life, practically in a club, in a city. It was one of the best times of my life. I arrived in Madrid perhaps relatively late, at 27, but at the right time. I was ready for that step. The four years in England helped me a lot. And everything I experienced and achieved in Madrid afterwards seems unreal to me.
"Apart from the trophies and victories, staying 13 years in such a club... I arrived at 27 and I stayed almost until 40 and it is something incredible! Because you know what kind of club Madrid is, you know that they don't tolerate mediocrity, and to stay at that level, in a club like that, for so many years, with all the successes I've experienced there, it's something incredible. In my previous way of thinking, I believed that I would be satisfied if I ended my career at 35. But my professional curriculum has long since exceeded that limit, and I do not hide my gratitude: I am still, thank God, at that level and it is something incredible!"
He added: "I've always said it and it wasn't platitudes, flattering the fans or the club - my big wish was to retire in Madrid. But simply, everything has a beginning and an end."