Luka Modric has had a remarkable year. The Croatian midfielder won a third straight Champions League with Real Madrid in May and led his nation to a World Cup final in the summer. And on Monday, he capped it all off by claiming the Ballon d’Or.
It will not get any better than this for the former Tottenham player and, in fact, he is already in the twilight of an extraordinary career. At the age of 33, he cannot continue for too many more years and despite everything he has achieved in 2018, his club need to start thinking about a replacement.
After his World Cup exertions and no proper pre-season, Modric has taken time to get back to his best this season and as he gets older, he will not be able to appear as regularly as he does now.
With that in mind, Standard Sport takes a look at the players who could replace him in the years to come at the Santiago Bernabeu…
Mateo Kovacic
Modric’s Croatia team-mate was signed by Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2015 and is now a three-time Champions League winner. He was earmarked as a long-term replacement for his compatriot, but found his route to the first team blocked by Luka and others and left to join Chelsea on loan in the summer in search of regular playing time.
Kovacic is still only 24 and will be back in Madrid next summer, but the midfielder has not appeared particularly enthusiastic about returning to the Santiago Bernabeu and may seek a permanent move when his loan agreement expires.
Dani Ceballos
Kovacic’s departure has opened the door for Dani Ceballos to receive more minutes and the 22-year-old midfielder looks much happier in his second season at Real Madrid after moving from Betis in the summer summer of 2017.
Ceballos was signed by Real as a player for the future and is 11 years younger than Modric. He is being used in a number of different roles by coach Santiago Solari, but is primarily an attacking player who can create openings for his team-mates and he could be the natural heir to the new Ballon d’Or winner in the coming years.
James Rodriguez
Like Kovacic, James Rodriguez left Real Madrid in search of more first-team opportunities. The Colombian playmaker joined Bayern Munich in a two-year loan agreement and is reportedly keen to return, but it is unclear whether coach Santiago Solari would want him to come back.
Solari has already used Isco sparingly in his brief tenure and the Spain midfielder was ahead of James when both players were at the club. With Modric approaching the end, the South American could be an option. He is still only 27 and under contract until 2021, while he would not cost anything, either.
Christian Eriksen
When Jose Mourinho decided Real Madrid needed more creativity and ball control in midfield back in 2012, he looked to Tottenham and ended up signing Luka Modric, which is perhaps his greatest legacy at the Spanish side a little more than five years after he left the club.
At Spurs, Christian Eriksen has shone since his arrival from Ajax in 2013 and Real Madrid have watched the Denmark midfielder with interest over the last couple of seasons. However, with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy putting a prohibitive €200m asking price on the 26-year-old, he looks unlikely to arrive any time soon.
Frenkie De Jong
Real Madrid are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Ajax midfielder Frenkie De Jong, along with Barcelona and Manchester City, and see the Dutch international as a player who could be a long-term replacement for Modric.
Dutch newspaper Telegraaf has claimed Real Madrid would be willing to pay €80m for the 21-year-old, who can play in central midfield, as a defensive midfielder or even as a centre-back. The player has also ‘liked’ a few Real Madrid posts on Instagram recently and that could be a hint that he would be keen on a move to the Bernabeu in future.
