The Croatia captain is not ready to say when his playing career will end. He is ready to say where he wants to be afterwards.

Speaking to El Larguero on Cadena SER, Modric was asked whether he saw himself at Real Madrid in some capacity after he hangs up his boots.

“Real Madrid is my home. I spent 13 years there. I’d love to be useful and help however I can, but I have to prepare myself and see what role I could have and whether the club wants it.”

“Returning would be a dream.”

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He named no specific role and set no timeline. He is 41, and his contract at AC Milan still has eight months to run.

A theme he keeps returning to

The remarks echo an interview Modric gave Marca at Milanello in September, where he spelled out the one condition on which he would be willing to go back.

“I don’t want to come back just for the sake of coming back and being there for the sake of being there. That’s not who I am,” he told the Spanish paper.

“I want to be useful, I want to help [Real Madrid].”

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Modric has not described what kind of role he envisages. The comments leave the full spectrum open, from ambassador to a seat in the sporting structure, but he has shut the door on a purely ceremonial posting.

Milan deal, Croatia duty

Before any Madrid conversation, there is the question of how long Modric plays on. His one-year extension at AC Milan runs through 30 June 2027. The deal was announced on 23 July under new head coach Rúben Amorim.

With Croatia, Modric is captaining a Nations League campaign that has gone badly, with two wins and three defeats in their last five matches. He told El Larguero he will keep playing while the passion is there and listen to his body on when to stop.

‘Cristiano deserves a big farewell’

He also addressed Cristiano Ronaldo, his old Real Madrid teammate who walked out of Portugal’s October camp in Copenhagen after falling out with new head coach Jorge Jesus.

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“It’s a shame this is happening. Cristiano deserves a solution, whether that means continuing or a proper farewell. He deserves a big farewell.”

Modric called Ronaldo “Portugal’s greatest player” and said whatever the forward chose had to be respected.

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