“The moment has come. The moment I never wanted to arrive, but that is football and everything in life has a beginning and an end. On Saturday, I will play my last game at the Santiago Bernabéu,” he wrote on his Instagram account.

Modric recalled that he arrived at the club in 2012 with the ambition of wearing the jersey of the “best team in the world”, but that he could not have imagined what would happen next, at a club that he says changed his life as a footballer and as a person.

“I am proud to have been part of one of the club’s most successful periods,” said the midfielder, who has won six Champions Leagues, four Club World Cups, five European Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Spanish Leagues, two Copa del Rey and five Spanish Super Cups for the Merengues.

The player added: “I am going with a full heart. Full of pride, gratitude and unforgettable memories. And even if, after the World Cup, I never wear this shirt on the pitch again, I will always be a “madridista”.

The midfielder, who was runner-up in the 2018 World Cup with Croatia, won the FIFA World Player of the Year award that same year and the Ballon d’Or, awarded by France Football magazine.