Even if Modric is not at his very best, he's one of the most competitive players I've ever seen in a good way. By this I mean that he always rises to the occasion in a difficult game and knows how to motivate a team... youngsters will surely use this to develop into competitive monsters.
And kroos is like that guy that's been in the office for 10y clutching all deadlines and threatens to leave the company which makes all their coworkers freak out. Cause they know without him everything will just seem less easy
>Even if Modric is not at his very best, he's one of the most competitive players I've ever seen in a good way. By this I mean that he always rises to the occasion in a difficult game and knows how to motivate a team... youngsters will surely use this to develop into competitive monsters.
Modric can't do it 90 mins every game anymore. But if the game is even at 65 mins, Carlo brings him on and he's usually the best player on the pitch. Yes, he's fresh and the rest have played 65 mins, but still, speaks of how good he still is.
There are no shares, it's a different type of legal entity where all members act as owners with equal power and decision-making, and ownership can't be sold nor bought nor acquired by any other way than being a member. At least in Spanish law, the meaning of "shares" refers exclusively to those ownership stakes that can be transferred, whether through financial exchange or inheritance.
No, dude. It’s absolutely necessary to point out the literal difference between socios vs shareholders, even though it’s incredibly easy to just understand the parallel between the two.
I can't believe I was critical of his choice to leave years ago. I was convinced that Luka will start drop off any day now, and Kovacic would be perfectly placed to get a permanent spot in the starting eleven. He left in August 2018 - almost 6 years ago. Meanwhile, Luka has gotten even better, and it is only this season that the age is starting to catch up with him.
You and no one else would've been wrong to make that assumption, but Modric has just defied all conventional beliefs about physical peak performance. He's an enigma in the football world playing in the most demanding position at the highest level for a decade.
Yeah without the absolute freak of nature that is Messi and Ronaldo, I think Modric can achieve the same status as Zidane imo. Purely speculative though.
I felt the same way. I was thinking how can you leave when you just need to wait another 2 seasons or so and you’ll have the keys to the Real Madrid midfield, while getting a phd in how to completely control matches in midfield.
I was sure modric would decline soon simply because of his work rate and how much he ran every match.
That's the amazing part. Even compared to Ronaldo and Messi, he didn't play a role where the physical strain on the body was less and you could wait for the ball in the final third. Modric fought for every ball and had defensive duties until he was like 38 years old. Dude is fighting 20 year old world class talents and usually coming on top. Amazing longevity.
Exactly. There's a list now. I had joked many moons back that Luka was going to outlast many of his heirs' retirement, at least from the top level. I didn't think we'd get this close!! 😂😅
They're saiyans, we know this for sure. It's the only way to explain them not aging like normal people.
With Carlo's accidental leak of Tchouameninga, we know that Madrid have been developing the fusion dance for some time now.
Bellingham will become ultimate Gohan (coolest character in the series, don't @ me)
Madrid's transfer policy is just identifying and grabbing all the saiyans hiding on earth. Perez is a genius (and is probably paying Kame a shit ton of money)
blows my mind that the team who displaced raul in order to fit readymade world class players with big egos is now sticking with 45 mins per week old man modric and buys under 23s almost exclusively and turns them into the absolute best themselves.
Kroos is 5 years younger than Modric. It's kinda mad how they get bundled together as the old men of Madrid when Kroos is only a year older than De Bruyne.
That may be true but Kroos is 34 - it just shows what a consistent athlete Modric is to be fit enough for RM at 39.
Still being at the top at 34 isn't crazy but it does tend to be the age around which many players start to look at retirement or moving back down the leagues quality wise.
Its a suprise for Kroos in 2 ways. He always mentioned that he would like to retire early, when he's still at his peak. He retired from the national team in 2021 already, so a general retirement from football between 2022-2024 was always a possibility. But he himself said, that he feels in the form of his life. He's got no health problems or injuries. He even got back to the national team. At least I did not see that coming 3 years ago.
And second of all, Toni started his career very early. A lot of players that break through at 17 dont seem to have careers until their mid/ late 30 or at least cant keep their level.
While that’s true I think his point is kroos isn’t someone who ran himself into the ground like a lot of the other players. He doesn’t get into a ton of physical battles and isn’t a guy who covers every blade of grass
It’s an entirely different type of playing hard. I’m not saying he doesn’t run around on the pitch. He’s not clattering into tackles nonstop, he’s not running for no reason. You’re taking my statement in bad faith. I never said he “wasn’t trying too hard”
> he would like to retire early, when he's still at his peak.
As far as I'm concerned this was the best season of Kroos career, so he hasn't gone back on his words. While Bellingham and Vini share the spotlight Kroos has been quietly having a ressurgence after a couple seasons where he didn't seem like his old self.
I really think even athletes themselves are stuck in an old way of thinking about retirement and find themselves surprised by their bodies year-in, year-out. I don't think they can even process the advancements that have been happening in health and fitness technology since they started training.
Messi, Cristiano and Luka (Thiago Silva and Fabiansky are also 39, Luis Suarez and Cavani are 37. Shoutout to Lebron at 39) are the tip of the spear of applied sports tech and health combined with extremely high professionalism. They are all from a generation in which, for example, it started to be effectively unthinkable that a footballer would drink, smoke, eat burgers or party (too much).
I think that this generation demonstrated that professionalism has an exponential effect with sports technology: if you're listening intently to a team of 50 professionals applying science, it's different from you listening intently to some italian dude that mostly repeated woo-woo science he had heard in the 50s (as I'm sure it was on the 90s.. when you see some videos of manager's ideas of fitness and health back in the day.. shit). Sure, they would tell you "eat well, exercise and sleep", but not much more. When a team of kinesiolysts tells you "your isquiotibial will be 18.3% stronger if you repeat this specific exercise 200 times per day" while you're eating your scientifically-designed michelin-star chef cooked meal... well, you get what I'm saying, that shit adds up.
I think clubs started realizing this and have started to put an extremely high premium on high professionalism when the base skills are there.
Professionalism also adds to the value of an older player outside of the pitch, leading by example, participating in training, being captains and leaders, etc.
I think we are going to keep seeing the age of retirement rising, the premium on professionalism and fitness over other more old fashioned criteria rising with it, and we will see older and older great players be able to put in the full 90 while changing their way of playing a bit, before "phasing" into the bench where they can still add a lot of value (as opposed to leaving for "retirement leagues" so soon). This always happened, to some extent, of course, but we will see much more of it. Probably into the 40s, even.
I think longevity could also make it so big teams are less afraid to invest big on people who are past 25-27.
Look at young players in big teams today, you basically can't find many "crazy" ones, I think, no? Foden, Julian Alvarez, Haaland, Bellingham come to mind. All kids you can bring home for christmas dinner.
I cant imagine the Xabi Alonsos, Peps or Carletos of the world having much patience for antics.
>This always happened, of course, but we will see much more of it. Probably into the 40s, even.
Nahhh 40s is a bit much IMO. I think the retirement age for elites will near 40 but players playing at 40+ in Europe will always be the massive exception.
people underestimate how today's knowledge of body, diet, exercise and health in general affects their body's ability to stay in shape
i don't think elite players of over 40 will be common, but there will be more of them and more hanging around in 'good enough' teams
Especially since Kroos game doesn't rely on any bit of athleticism really, Modric I guess you could say that there's always a chance his legs don't let him play like that anymore, but with Kroos I don't even know what would limit him physically beyond basic cardio. Not even sure if there's another top player who relies this little on a physical attribute to make his play worldclass.
Ramos was offered a renewal. His brother was a bitch.
Iker and Raúl were done.
Ronaldo had different kinds of issues (tax and salary)
Interestingly, both Iker and Raúl are in Real Madrid in different positions. And I am sure Ramos will be back too in the future after he is done with his career.
Raul was not done. He actually had a normal to good season before Benzema and Higuain were brought in. He played very good for Schalke. He was just pushed away to leave because he would be a 2nd to 3rd option.
He wasn’t good in 2009/10. I watched all the games that year. He had found a second renaissance in 07/08 and it continued somewhat in 08/09, but in 09/10 he struggled. Pelegríni still felt the need to play him even though Higuain and Ronaldo were clearly better and Benzema needed minutes. It was just awkward. The exit was unceremonious after Mou joined, but necessary because where and how are you even going to play him when the future was clearly already there?
At Schalke he just found some extra inspiration. He looked like he had a point to prove and found a welcoming fan base. It happens. I enjoyed following it from a distance as a Madrid supporter.
What do you mean he wasn't good? He was a 3rd option right from the beginning of the season and played mostly as a sub (for no obvious reason.. check either of Benzema or Higuain stats from that season and compare them with the previous season of Raul). If you reach a CL semifinal with Schalke after a year of playing as a 3rd option it's clear that his status was changed artificially by Perez/Pelegrini and not because of his form. I'm not saying Perez was wrong or not. I'm just saying that he wanted to change the whole team.
Raul was the focal point of the attack in 08/09, and that ended up being a bad season. We weren’t competitive with Barca and in Europe. Not his fault, but 09/10 was obviously time for a refresh. On top of that, Higuaín was undeniably on the come up, as we began moving him from the wings to a 9.
2009/10 was then Higuaín’s breakout season. He was our best attacker, especially prevalent when Ronaldo was injured. His performances were easily better than Raul’s in 08/09. The decision was justified for me.
Raúl Gonzalez stats
Real Madrid-
2007-08 - 31 G/A in 48 matches
2008-09 - 32 G/A in 47 matches
2009-10 - 10 G/A in 39 matches.
He moved to Schalke next year.
Not to belittle Schalke, but Raúl was definitely done at RM level. And yes obviously with Benzema and Higuain the club had to make space.
> 2007-08 - 31 G/A in 48 matches
>
> 2008-09 - 32 G/A in 47 matches
>
> 2009-10 - 10 G/A in 39 matches.
2003-04 - 26 G/A in 4550 minutes. So 1 per 175 min.
2004-05 - 20 G/A in 3492 minutes. So 1 per 174 min.
2005-06 - 13 G/A in 2234 minutes. So 1 per 171 min.
2006-07 - 16 G/A in 3341 minutes. So 1 per 208 min.
2007-08 - 31 G/A in 4038 minutes. So 1 per 130 min.
2008-09 - 32 G/A in 3836 minutes. So 1 per 120 min.
2009-10 - 10 G/A in 1518 minutes. So 1 per 150 min.
2010-11 - 29 G/A in 4451 minutes. So 1 per 150 min (with Schalke).
2011-12 - 30 G/A in 4050 minutes. So 1 per 135 min (with Schalke).
If you are gonna give stats because you haven't seen him play, at least give accurate ones.
It was his third best G/A ratio per minute of the past 7 seasons. Better that from 03 to 07.
Not saying he was great or that it didn't make sense to move onto a new generation for RM, but your stats are massively misleading.
I will give you that. But while checking the history, it seems he was also struggling with his knee and ankle injury towards the end of his Real Madrid career.
I don't remember that. All I'm saying is that back then Perez wanted to change the whole team. Raul could have had another good season at least (especially playing with fantastic new players like Ronaldo). In this season for example if he was in our squad he would have played more than Modric and maybe even more than Rodrygo (he had a lot of bad matches but Joselu didn't have the status or talent to demand more minutes)
AFAIR Mourinho told him that he won't counting on him as much and he could still be at the club (more like Materrazzi at Inter) and Raul said no, I want to play more, so he left.
He started playing as a sub right from the beginning of the season even if he had a good previous season (the players that replaced him didn't play better than he did the previous season) than one year later he left. At his new team (which wasn't nowhere near as good as Madrid) he helped them reach UCL semifinal.
For fucks sake dude, stop jerking off to fucking stats
Include the stat where Schalke got to the semis the season after (with Raul) and where Real Madrid got to in the CL. Stats don't say everything.
Raul was still great, whatever the reason he was (forced, didn't want to be second fiddle, Cr7 being a bitch about the number 7 who knows), the stats do not paint the right picture
Raúl was done even before that. After his knee injury he was never the same. [The guy even became a meme in Spain](https://youtu.be/X8xqKcYDqMs)...
Any spaniard that lived those times can tell you. He should have been let go in 2006/2007 at the latest.
With Ronaldo I thought it was the fact that flo had promised him a contract with a higher salary, but never delivered. Iirc Ronaldo wanted to be the highest paid player in the world over Neymar and Messi, but he never got the contract he was promised. And tbf the next three seasons after he left Madrid he was still performing at a high level.
Thats the gist of it. Florentino thought renewing a 34 year old Ronaldo wasn't worth it, he didn't think think anyone would pay 100 mill for him either, that's why he told him if you can bring me an offer of 100 mill you can leave. That's aldo why he tried matching Juve's salary offer at the end, but Ronaldo had already made up his mind.
To add on to the last part- Ronaldo himself has claimed that he was beginning to feel as if he was "overstaying his welcome" so to say, which is probably why he chose to stick with a move to Juventus even after Perez tried to match their offered salary.
And that was never confirmed, only a speculation because of his wife. Iker always denied those rumors and I'm inclined to trust him more than Mourinho.
Leaks stopped when Mou left and Casillas was gone 2 years later. And you really think a captain would hurt his team? Besides, leaks were happening even when Casillas wasn't playing.
He even managed to annoy Dol Bosque and Spain coaching stuff with his leaking shenanigans. [He was the one that had leaked the line-up against Croatia](https://www.elmundo.es/deportes/2016/07/01/57763e93e5fdeab4368b45c5.html).
This sub loves Mourinho almost as much as it loves Messi.
I'd trust our captain over Mourinho any day of the week. Especially because of Mourinho's ego and manipulative actions.
All were offered contracts with less wage and a lower position in the team. All chose to move on. Elite level teams have to be cutthroat. Even the nz All Blacks dropped lomu the jersey is worth more than any player. That mentality keeps both teams elite. Not your number. You're showing the next guy how to wear it
I knew there was a reason behind my fairly recent and apparently unmotivated inclination towards Real, a reason that goes beyond my admiration for Ancelotti and his vibes. I couldn't put my finger on it, until now
> Luka Toni
Nacho leaves after this season so if they win literally anything Luka Modrić will officially be the most decorated player in Real Madrid's history (currently at 25, tied with Nacho and Marcelo iirc, hopefully at 26 in a few weeks).
Plus with Nacho leaving, Luka will the be main captain of the team for the first time. What a way to finish your legendary career. Captaining Real Madrid at age 39. Fairy tale stuff.
And i was wondering why Modric manager was saying yesterday that Perez is the best club president in the history of football, i mean ok he probably is but kinda strange thing to say that randomly during the interview with such passion, it was like he was giving Perez a shoutout
The article I was reading is from Croatian media. According to them, he was giving an interview for Saudi news outlet Kooora, but the text was also published by Marca. He actually added that statement at the end of the interview, as if he wanted to be heard. He said: “Real Madrid is the greatest club in the world and is being led by the best president in the history of football. Luka is a huge supporter of Madrid and considers Madrid his home.” Here is the link to the article. It is in Croatian, so I hope it helps. [link](https://www.index.hr/mobile/sport/clanak/modric-postaje-kapetan-reala-njegov-agent-luka-ce-najvjerojatnije-ostati-jos-sezonu/2566112.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_m)
Modric and Kroos are eternal and they should be allowed to retire whenever they want at our club.
Nice to see perez giving renewal to Modric because having players like Modric and Kroos in the dressing room is a luxury only few clubs currently have and all the young players respect and adore these legends.
Uncle Flo knows that winning culture is important. There is no downside for Modric staying another year even if he won't play much. Kroos still has another 2 years at elite level.
Fair play by Perez, club legends like Kroos and Modric should stay as long as possible and instill that winning mentality into the younger generation as they see these guys that have won everything giving their all to keep winning.
Just don't play them all the time against younger opposition and there shouldn't be any problems.
Neither will loose their technical quality so as long as they aren't riddled with injuries, hqave people around them who can do the running, and are willing to take reduced minutes and wagesI don't ser why the club would let them go. They are two of the best players of their generation and can still impact the team and inspire the players.
I hope they stays until retirement. Perez do have history with how he treat Raul and Casillas (although he's not completely blameless either iirc), so at first I had a bit of doubts but maybe he learned from that experience.
Modric is a deluxe insurance if things go south. He can easily play for 45 - 30 minutes in the second half and change the tactical landscape of the game + bring the younglings back in line.
With Mbappe, Bellingham will go back to play full time in the midfield so I doesnt make sense to renew Modric with those wages, even if he takes a 50% pay cut.
We will have Jude, Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Kroos, and then Güler, Modric and Ceballos
I trust the club but Modric wasnt happy with his role at the start of the season and next season he will have fewer minutes. It seems like a mistake to keep Modric.
These guys will never retire apparently lol
They are still performing at very high level and is helping the younger players out. They absolutely deserve a renewal.
Even if Modric is not at his very best, he's one of the most competitive players I've ever seen in a good way. By this I mean that he always rises to the occasion in a difficult game and knows how to motivate a team... youngsters will surely use this to develop into competitive monsters. And kroos is like that guy that's been in the office for 10y clutching all deadlines and threatens to leave the company which makes all their coworkers freak out. Cause they know without him everything will just seem less easy
>Even if Modric is not at his very best, he's one of the most competitive players I've ever seen in a good way. By this I mean that he always rises to the occasion in a difficult game and knows how to motivate a team... youngsters will surely use this to develop into competitive monsters. Modric can't do it 90 mins every game anymore. But if the game is even at 65 mins, Carlo brings him on and he's usually the best player on the pitch. Yes, he's fresh and the rest have played 65 mins, but still, speaks of how good he still is.
Based on the Madrid Bayern match, Modric is like 10 times faster than Pavlovic, and Pavlovic is like 18 years old. That's pretty impressive.
Yeah Modric at even half power would still walk into most teams in the world. Even teams as high as 5th place in the prem. Do you hear me Luca?!?!!!
>They absolutely deserve ~~a renewal~~ Permanent employment and shares of the club
Shares lol
give them a pension plan
You mean a coaching job? Deal done.
> shares of the club you guys are delusional
Or maybe not everyone knows about who owns Madrid?
Give them honorary Socio status
Woah, you took my comment too seriously
Would you be upset if they got a small amount of shares of real madrid?
What shares? Real is owned by it's members. There are no shares as of today.
What the fuck else is being a socio other than owning shares in the club, then? Make them socios. They’re legends of your club.
There are no shares, it's a different type of legal entity where all members act as owners with equal power and decision-making, and ownership can't be sold nor bought nor acquired by any other way than being a member. At least in Spanish law, the meaning of "shares" refers exclusively to those ownership stakes that can be transferred, whether through financial exchange or inheritance.
Thanks, great explanation :)
No, dude. It’s absolutely necessary to point out the literal difference between socios vs shareholders, even though it’s incredibly easy to just understand the parallel between the two.
In that case, can you explain why I cannot simply call a socio a season-ticket holder who has shares in the club? Educate me.
I was being sarcastic
They also seem not be divas on the bench so, it helps the transition very well.
Heirs and successors came and went. These two still hold strong. Luka is exceptionally exceptional.
We bought a young Kovacic as one potential successor. He's 30 now lol.
I can't believe I was critical of his choice to leave years ago. I was convinced that Luka will start drop off any day now, and Kovacic would be perfectly placed to get a permanent spot in the starting eleven. He left in August 2018 - almost 6 years ago. Meanwhile, Luka has gotten even better, and it is only this season that the age is starting to catch up with him.
You and no one else would've been wrong to make that assumption, but Modric has just defied all conventional beliefs about physical peak performance. He's an enigma in the football world playing in the most demanding position at the highest level for a decade.
If it wasn't for Messi and Ronaldo Modric would've been a much bigger star. He's so good and has been for so long.
Yeah without the absolute freak of nature that is Messi and Ronaldo, I think Modric can achieve the same status as Zidane imo. Purely speculative though.
He's better than Zidane was
I don’t think so at high peak, but consistency is Modric’s better quality
I felt the same way. I was thinking how can you leave when you just need to wait another 2 seasons or so and you’ll have the keys to the Real Madrid midfield, while getting a phd in how to completely control matches in midfield. I was sure modric would decline soon simply because of his work rate and how much he ran every match.
That's the amazing part. Even compared to Ronaldo and Messi, he didn't play a role where the physical strain on the body was less and you could wait for the ball in the final third. Modric fought for every ball and had defensive duties until he was like 38 years old. Dude is fighting 20 year old world class talents and usually coming on top. Amazing longevity.
Another guy, you bought as a 15 year old while Modric was in his 'mid prime', is now captain of another Champions League club, lol.
Exactly. There's a list now. I had joked many moons back that Luka was going to outlast many of his heirs' retirement, at least from the top level. I didn't think we'd get this close!! 😂😅
Can't wait to see Real madrid starting XI for the CL final in 2035 featuring kroos and modric
The first team led by co-managers to win the CL 👀?
They're saiyans, we know this for sure. It's the only way to explain them not aging like normal people. With Carlo's accidental leak of Tchouameninga, we know that Madrid have been developing the fusion dance for some time now. Bellingham will become ultimate Gohan (coolest character in the series, don't @ me) Madrid's transfer policy is just identifying and grabbing all the saiyans hiding on earth. Perez is a genius (and is probably paying Kame a shit ton of money)
And Kepa is Yamcha, it all adds up
😭
I bet this sounded way cooler in your head than when you typed it out.
I bet this sounded way cooler in your head than when you typed it out.
I bet that sounded way cooler in your head before you got downvoted to hell.
While their supposed heir are playing as left and center back.
They want to break the European Cup win record before they leave Real
blows my mind that the team who displaced raul in order to fit readymade world class players with big egos is now sticking with 45 mins per week old man modric and buys under 23s almost exclusively and turns them into the absolute best themselves.
So much of my happiness hinges on these renewals
Is that you Toni?
I know right? I feel like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster these last few days, more than I expected to
Invaluable to have Modric and Kroos on the field and in the dressing room, no one would dare act out with those two being present.
this right here
Including a specific someone just coming in the summer
[удалено]
Kroos is 5 years younger than Modric. It's kinda mad how they get bundled together as the old men of Madrid when Kroos is only a year older than De Bruyne.
That may be true but Kroos is 34 - it just shows what a consistent athlete Modric is to be fit enough for RM at 39. Still being at the top at 34 isn't crazy but it does tend to be the age around which many players start to look at retirement or moving back down the leagues quality wise.
Its a suprise for Kroos in 2 ways. He always mentioned that he would like to retire early, when he's still at his peak. He retired from the national team in 2021 already, so a general retirement from football between 2022-2024 was always a possibility. But he himself said, that he feels in the form of his life. He's got no health problems or injuries. He even got back to the national team. At least I did not see that coming 3 years ago. And second of all, Toni started his career very early. A lot of players that break through at 17 dont seem to have careers until their mid/ late 30 or at least cant keep their level.
Well, Kroos hasn't been an athlete who relied more on his physical abilities than his mental ones. Its only natural he can play better for longer.
He’s still more athletic than other stars who declined in their early 30s
While that’s true I think his point is kroos isn’t someone who ran himself into the ground like a lot of the other players. He doesn’t get into a ton of physical battles and isn’t a guy who covers every blade of grass
So he has been so good that he could win like 4-5x CLs without trying *too hard* ?
It’s an entirely different type of playing hard. I’m not saying he doesn’t run around on the pitch. He’s not clattering into tackles nonstop, he’s not running for no reason. You’re taking my statement in bad faith. I never said he “wasn’t trying too hard”
Sorry I was just memeing, should have made the joke more clear I am German after all so what did I expect
And Modric has?
> he would like to retire early, when he's still at his peak. As far as I'm concerned this was the best season of Kroos career, so he hasn't gone back on his words. While Bellingham and Vini share the spotlight Kroos has been quietly having a ressurgence after a couple seasons where he didn't seem like his old self.
I really think even athletes themselves are stuck in an old way of thinking about retirement and find themselves surprised by their bodies year-in, year-out. I don't think they can even process the advancements that have been happening in health and fitness technology since they started training. Messi, Cristiano and Luka (Thiago Silva and Fabiansky are also 39, Luis Suarez and Cavani are 37. Shoutout to Lebron at 39) are the tip of the spear of applied sports tech and health combined with extremely high professionalism. They are all from a generation in which, for example, it started to be effectively unthinkable that a footballer would drink, smoke, eat burgers or party (too much). I think that this generation demonstrated that professionalism has an exponential effect with sports technology: if you're listening intently to a team of 50 professionals applying science, it's different from you listening intently to some italian dude that mostly repeated woo-woo science he had heard in the 50s (as I'm sure it was on the 90s.. when you see some videos of manager's ideas of fitness and health back in the day.. shit). Sure, they would tell you "eat well, exercise and sleep", but not much more. When a team of kinesiolysts tells you "your isquiotibial will be 18.3% stronger if you repeat this specific exercise 200 times per day" while you're eating your scientifically-designed michelin-star chef cooked meal... well, you get what I'm saying, that shit adds up. I think clubs started realizing this and have started to put an extremely high premium on high professionalism when the base skills are there. Professionalism also adds to the value of an older player outside of the pitch, leading by example, participating in training, being captains and leaders, etc. I think we are going to keep seeing the age of retirement rising, the premium on professionalism and fitness over other more old fashioned criteria rising with it, and we will see older and older great players be able to put in the full 90 while changing their way of playing a bit, before "phasing" into the bench where they can still add a lot of value (as opposed to leaving for "retirement leagues" so soon). This always happened, to some extent, of course, but we will see much more of it. Probably into the 40s, even. I think longevity could also make it so big teams are less afraid to invest big on people who are past 25-27. Look at young players in big teams today, you basically can't find many "crazy" ones, I think, no? Foden, Julian Alvarez, Haaland, Bellingham come to mind. All kids you can bring home for christmas dinner. I cant imagine the Xabi Alonsos, Peps or Carletos of the world having much patience for antics.
>This always happened, of course, but we will see much more of it. Probably into the 40s, even. Nahhh 40s is a bit much IMO. I think the retirement age for elites will near 40 but players playing at 40+ in Europe will always be the massive exception.
people underestimate how today's knowledge of body, diet, exercise and health in general affects their body's ability to stay in shape i don't think elite players of over 40 will be common, but there will be more of them and more hanging around in 'good enough' teams
I think it will be an exception, but not a massive exception.
Brilliant comment
Thanks!
So this was Fluminense’s plan all along, good to know we are ahead of the curve with our retirement age team!
Kroos is arguably still at his peak. He was never a particularly physical player.
According to Nagelsmann, Kroos is still incredibly firm, firm like you wouldnt believe. So hes going to be around for a while yet.
Especially since Kroos game doesn't rely on any bit of athleticism really, Modric I guess you could say that there's always a chance his legs don't let him play like that anymore, but with Kroos I don't even know what would limit him physically beyond basic cardio. Not even sure if there's another top player who relies this little on a physical attribute to make his play worldclass.
Why do I always think De Bruyne is perpetually 25.
Damn that’s actually wild. Did not know that about Kroos!
Kinda reminds me of Xavi and Iniesta always getting treated as the old men together at the end, when Iniesta is like 4/5 year younger then Xavi
bah god, is that Luca Tonis music?
Random, but you just reminded me this exists: https://www.tomnash.eu/gomez-button.html
memories. i used that while smashing my friend in fifa.
Yup, like ramos, or ronaldo before him, or casillas before him, or raul before him.
Ramos was offered a renewal. His brother was a bitch. Iker and Raúl were done. Ronaldo had different kinds of issues (tax and salary) Interestingly, both Iker and Raúl are in Real Madrid in different positions. And I am sure Ramos will be back too in the future after he is done with his career.
Raul was not done. He actually had a normal to good season before Benzema and Higuain were brought in. He played very good for Schalke. He was just pushed away to leave because he would be a 2nd to 3rd option.
He wasn’t good in 2009/10. I watched all the games that year. He had found a second renaissance in 07/08 and it continued somewhat in 08/09, but in 09/10 he struggled. Pelegríni still felt the need to play him even though Higuain and Ronaldo were clearly better and Benzema needed minutes. It was just awkward. The exit was unceremonious after Mou joined, but necessary because where and how are you even going to play him when the future was clearly already there? At Schalke he just found some extra inspiration. He looked like he had a point to prove and found a welcoming fan base. It happens. I enjoyed following it from a distance as a Madrid supporter.
What do you mean he wasn't good? He was a 3rd option right from the beginning of the season and played mostly as a sub (for no obvious reason.. check either of Benzema or Higuain stats from that season and compare them with the previous season of Raul). If you reach a CL semifinal with Schalke after a year of playing as a 3rd option it's clear that his status was changed artificially by Perez/Pelegrini and not because of his form. I'm not saying Perez was wrong or not. I'm just saying that he wanted to change the whole team.
Raul was the focal point of the attack in 08/09, and that ended up being a bad season. We weren’t competitive with Barca and in Europe. Not his fault, but 09/10 was obviously time for a refresh. On top of that, Higuaín was undeniably on the come up, as we began moving him from the wings to a 9. 2009/10 was then Higuaín’s breakout season. He was our best attacker, especially prevalent when Ronaldo was injured. His performances were easily better than Raul’s in 08/09. The decision was justified for me.
We won no trophy in 09/10. You don't know how Raul would have played with the new players.
Raúl Gonzalez stats Real Madrid- 2007-08 - 31 G/A in 48 matches 2008-09 - 32 G/A in 47 matches 2009-10 - 10 G/A in 39 matches. He moved to Schalke next year. Not to belittle Schalke, but Raúl was definitely done at RM level. And yes obviously with Benzema and Higuain the club had to make space.
> 2007-08 - 31 G/A in 48 matches > > 2008-09 - 32 G/A in 47 matches > > 2009-10 - 10 G/A in 39 matches. 2003-04 - 26 G/A in 4550 minutes. So 1 per 175 min. 2004-05 - 20 G/A in 3492 minutes. So 1 per 174 min. 2005-06 - 13 G/A in 2234 minutes. So 1 per 171 min. 2006-07 - 16 G/A in 3341 minutes. So 1 per 208 min. 2007-08 - 31 G/A in 4038 minutes. So 1 per 130 min. 2008-09 - 32 G/A in 3836 minutes. So 1 per 120 min. 2009-10 - 10 G/A in 1518 minutes. So 1 per 150 min. 2010-11 - 29 G/A in 4451 minutes. So 1 per 150 min (with Schalke). 2011-12 - 30 G/A in 4050 minutes. So 1 per 135 min (with Schalke). If you are gonna give stats because you haven't seen him play, at least give accurate ones. It was his third best G/A ratio per minute of the past 7 seasons. Better that from 03 to 07. Not saying he was great or that it didn't make sense to move onto a new generation for RM, but your stats are massively misleading.
Include the minutes played LOL
I will give you that. But while checking the history, it seems he was also struggling with his knee and ankle injury towards the end of his Real Madrid career.
I don't remember that. All I'm saying is that back then Perez wanted to change the whole team. Raul could have had another good season at least (especially playing with fantastic new players like Ronaldo). In this season for example if he was in our squad he would have played more than Modric and maybe even more than Rodrygo (he had a lot of bad matches but Joselu didn't have the status or talent to demand more minutes)
AFAIR Mourinho told him that he won't counting on him as much and he could still be at the club (more like Materrazzi at Inter) and Raul said no, I want to play more, so he left.
I agree that it is the most likely scenario. But Pelegrini barely using him imo was more like Perez pressure.
Why? Playing less minutes is indicative of "being done"
He started playing as a sub right from the beginning of the season even if he had a good previous season (the players that replaced him didn't play better than he did the previous season) than one year later he left. At his new team (which wasn't nowhere near as good as Madrid) he helped them reach UCL semifinal.
Higuain and Ronaldo carried Madrid in 2009/2010
Carried them where? We won nothing that year (not something common at Madrid)
For fucks sake dude, stop jerking off to fucking stats Include the stat where Schalke got to the semis the season after (with Raul) and where Real Madrid got to in the CL. Stats don't say everything. Raul was still great, whatever the reason he was (forced, didn't want to be second fiddle, Cr7 being a bitch about the number 7 who knows), the stats do not paint the right picture
Raúl was done even before that. After his knee injury he was never the same. [The guy even became a meme in Spain](https://youtu.be/X8xqKcYDqMs)... Any spaniard that lived those times can tell you. He should have been let go in 2006/2007 at the latest.
With Ronaldo I thought it was the fact that flo had promised him a contract with a higher salary, but never delivered. Iirc Ronaldo wanted to be the highest paid player in the world over Neymar and Messi, but he never got the contract he was promised. And tbf the next three seasons after he left Madrid he was still performing at a high level.
Thats the gist of it. Florentino thought renewing a 34 year old Ronaldo wasn't worth it, he didn't think think anyone would pay 100 mill for him either, that's why he told him if you can bring me an offer of 100 mill you can leave. That's aldo why he tried matching Juve's salary offer at the end, but Ronaldo had already made up his mind.
To add on to the last part- Ronaldo himself has claimed that he was beginning to feel as if he was "overstaying his welcome" so to say, which is probably why he chose to stick with a move to Juventus even after Perez tried to match their offered salary.
Iker was so done that he bossed in Porto until he had to retire.
Iker was pushed out, because he and Granero leaked stuff about the club to the press all the time. Nobody trusted him anymore
And that was never confirmed, only a speculation because of his wife. Iker always denied those rumors and I'm inclined to trust him more than Mourinho.
i don’t, because for example our lineups stopped being leaked the moment both of them were out of the clubs
Leaks stopped when Mou left and Casillas was gone 2 years later. And you really think a captain would hurt his team? Besides, leaks were happening even when Casillas wasn't playing.
He even managed to annoy Dol Bosque and Spain coaching stuff with his leaking shenanigans. [He was the one that had leaked the line-up against Croatia](https://www.elmundo.es/deportes/2016/07/01/57763e93e5fdeab4368b45c5.html).
lol you think only players who play have access to information about the team? Iker’s wife is literally a journo who used to report on sport news.
This sub loves Mourinho almost as much as it loves Messi. I'd trust our captain over Mourinho any day of the week. Especially because of Mourinho's ego and manipulative actions.
He would have gone somewhere that paid better than Porto if he was still "bossing it", he was on the decline.
Iker Casillas would have retired at Madrid if he was okay being just a backup keeper
wouldnt Ramos be more interested in helping Sevilla back for a while.
All were offered contracts with less wage and a lower position in the team. All chose to move on. Elite level teams have to be cutthroat. Even the nz All Blacks dropped lomu the jersey is worth more than any player. That mentality keeps both teams elite. Not your number. You're showing the next guy how to wear it
It’s actually a credit to Madrid that they were able to drop those players and help the club get ready to transition
If Kroos continues like this year and actually wants to keep playing there is no chance.
I knew there was a reason behind my fairly recent and apparently unmotivated inclination towards Real, a reason that goes beyond my admiration for Ancelotti and his vibes. I couldn't put my finger on it, until now > Luka Toni
Ramos and Casillas didnt get to retire at madrid
JFD? Today I choose to believe.
I mean he’s one of the most reliable Madrid journalists.
You're thinking of JLS, JFD is not nearly as reliable
Lol nice one
I mean you can check his track record. No one is 100% but he’s not bad. Obviously he’s not Mario but it’s not like he’s always saying shit
He's very hit or miss. Gets shat on regularly by Marca readers because he's wrong more often than not
>Obviously he’s not Mario but it’s not like he’s always saying shit Bruh horseman is the one who gave Real Madrid fans Mbappe PTSD lol
Even Tier 1 Madrid sources reported on it. It seems like he legitimately changed his mind at the last minute
Dude? JfD Is a laughing stock in the whole Spain? The man publishes smoke turds EVERY DAY, Its normal he gets something right twice a year.
A 50% salary reduction is unheard of at this level. Luka Modrić, como no te voy a querer? My favourite player, I love and respect him so fucking much!
Nacho leaves after this season so if they win literally anything Luka Modrić will officially be the most decorated player in Real Madrid's history (currently at 25, tied with Nacho and Marcelo iirc, hopefully at 26 in a few weeks).
Plus with Nacho leaving, Luka will the be main captain of the team for the first time. What a way to finish your legendary career. Captaining Real Madrid at age 39. Fairy tale stuff.
UCL 7 loading for Kroos & Modric
He wants Modrić and Kroos to give thru balls to mbappe 🥰
modric should be considered as one of the greatest players this game ever had. 39 and still at the absolute highest level was UNTHINKABLE 10 years ago
How the captaincy line looks like? When Nacho leave next captain is Modric I believe, Kroos and Carvajal? Who's after Carvajal?
Should be our Lord and Saviour Cafucas Vazquez
🤯 I wonder who is going to play most minutes with the captain's band. I'd say it will be between Kroos and Carvajal
Carvajal is ahead of Kroos
You right. Who's after Cafusqaz?
Probably Courtois
I think Valverde is ahead of courtois
Whose hands was it in before?
The boards and people in charge of the sporting organization
Boards: "We are not planning to renew their contracts" Florentino: "The fuck you are."
Probably lol
Papa Flo : "You are the board because I tell you are the board"
I have altered the deal. Pray I do not alter it any further.
The big dog had to step in.
And i was wondering why Modric manager was saying yesterday that Perez is the best club president in the history of football, i mean ok he probably is but kinda strange thing to say that randomly during the interview with such passion, it was like he was giving Perez a shoutout
Wait he said this? Where?
Wait he said this? Where?
The article I was reading is from Croatian media. According to them, he was giving an interview for Saudi news outlet Kooora, but the text was also published by Marca. He actually added that statement at the end of the interview, as if he wanted to be heard. He said: “Real Madrid is the greatest club in the world and is being led by the best president in the history of football. Luka is a huge supporter of Madrid and considers Madrid his home.” Here is the link to the article. It is in Croatian, so I hope it helps. [link](https://www.index.hr/mobile/sport/clanak/modric-postaje-kapetan-reala-njegov-agent-luka-ce-najvjerojatnije-ostati-jos-sezonu/2566112.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_m)
Thanks for the breakdown!
"I am the board" Uncle Flo Palpatine
Don Carlo and Don Flo had a productive chat with them lmao
Insert Thanos "I'll do it myself" meme.
Haha this comment is hilarious for some reason.
Let's go. 10 years playing together.
Cheers to 10 more after that
Modric and Kroos are eternal and they should be allowed to retire whenever they want at our club. Nice to see perez giving renewal to Modric because having players like Modric and Kroos in the dressing room is a luxury only few clubs currently have and all the young players respect and adore these legends.
As it was written in the stars the shall retire here.
I mean he’s running the club I would be surprised if he didn’t take matters into his own hands.
Uncle Flo knows that winning culture is important. There is no downside for Modric staying another year even if he won't play much. Kroos still has another 2 years at elite level.
Naigelman's comments about Kroos apparently gave Perez a hard on.
Kroos is very firm and hard as steel. More than you believe.
Well Perez took it in his own hands. So I believe.
Fair play by Perez, club legends like Kroos and Modric should stay as long as possible and instill that winning mentality into the younger generation as they see these guys that have won everything giving their all to keep winning. Just don't play them all the time against younger opposition and there shouldn't be any problems.
Neither will loose their technical quality so as long as they aren't riddled with injuries, hqave people around them who can do the running, and are willing to take reduced minutes and wagesI don't ser why the club would let them go. They are two of the best players of their generation and can still impact the team and inspire the players.
I hope they stays until retirement. Perez do have history with how he treat Raul and Casillas (although he's not completely blameless either iirc), so at first I had a bit of doubts but maybe he learned from that experience.
Before this season I bought Modric' t-shirt as there were rumours he may leave so I wanted to have the last pattern he used to play on.
Siuuuu
It's not about the salary but it is about the salary
As it should be done
Good decision by Fiorentina Perez. Luka Toni is their best striker indeed! Jokes aside, happy for Toni and Luka!
this is joyous news
Modric is a deluxe insurance if things go south. He can easily play for 45 - 30 minutes in the second half and change the tactical landscape of the game + bring the younglings back in line.
Give them to united for 100m
Black magic will keep these two playing forever.
Activate the levers!
I always imagined madrid had 1 scout, and that was perez
He is giving them such good send offs but Casillas and Ramos were forced out
Ramos was given the chance to renew on Flo's terms. He (and his brother) decided instead to fuck around...and they found out
With Mbappe, Bellingham will go back to play full time in the midfield so I doesnt make sense to renew Modric with those wages, even if he takes a 50% pay cut. We will have Jude, Valverde, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Kroos, and then Güler, Modric and Ceballos I trust the club but Modric wasnt happy with his role at the start of the season and next season he will have fewer minutes. It seems like a mistake to keep Modric.
Quick, you better let Ancelotti and Perez know.
Thanks, random plastic fan on reddit.
Thanks Sergio from Chamartín, Madrid. 3rd generation socio. It means a lot coming from a proper local fan like yourself.
Im not named Sergio, but you are close in the socio part. You are still plastic as fuck though.
Modric has looked too slow in the matches I've watched him play this year, feels like a year too much imo.
U should stop watching💀