The celebration said it all. After Luka Modric put Real Madrid ahead against Sevilla with a curling effort from outside the box, he stood on the advertising hoardings, punched the air with both fists and let out a roar as his team-mates held him back.
The release of emotion was understandable: this has been a frustrating season for Modric, in which he has started 11 of Madrid’s 26 La Liga matches. On Sunday, the Croatian was again forced to contribute from the bench, coming on with a quarter of an hour left to play and scoring six minutes later.
Modric’s contract expires in the summer and his head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has repeatedly said it is up to the 38-year-old midfielder whether he renews or not, but this campaign increasingly feels like a long farewell to one of Madrid’s best-ever players. He still believes he can perform to a high level after nearly 12 years at the Bernabeu in which he has made 517 appearances and won 24 major trophies — but Madrid are rarely sentimental when it comes to letting their brightest stars go.
Modric needed only to look at one of his opponents on Sunday for proof of that. In 2021, Sergio Ramos left for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after taking too long to reply to a contract offer, bringing an abrupt end to a 16-year spell with Los Blancos. Reputations count for little in this part of the Spanish capital.
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Ramos was far from the first and won’t be the last icon to be shown the exit door despite achieving huge success in Madrid. Here, we look at how he and three other legends left the club in difficult circumstances.
Raul (1994-2010, 741 appearances, 323 goals and 16 trophies)
Raul is arguably the most emblematic player in Real Madrid history — the local-born striker who joined the academy from city rivals Atletico and rose to become their captain, top all-time appearance maker and scorer through sheer grit and determination — but even he could not escape an undignified end at the Bernabeu.
The signs were there throughout the 2009-10 season, which would prove to be his last at the club. Cristiano Ronaldo had signed the previous summer and had his eyes on Raul’s No 7 shirt; Ronaldo wore the No 9 to start with but would later claim the Spaniard’s favourite number as well as his goals record. Then-coach Manuel Pellegrini had called Raul “titularisimo” (“a definite starter”) early in the campaign but, in practice, that was far from the case.
Yet it still came as a shock to see Raul blinking with tears as he said goodbye to Madrid at a news conference in July 2010 before joining Schalke in the Bundesliga.
Raul experienced a frustrating last season at the Bernabeu (Miguel Riopa/AFP via Getty Images)
“My dream at 30 years old was to retire at Madrid but, when the moment came, I felt that I had to take another step, I needed other things,” he later told Panenka magazine. “It could have been better but it happened in that way and time puts everything in its place.”
Raul kept up his scoring in two seasons with Schalke before seeing out his playing career at Qatari side Al Sadd and the New York Cosmos. The 46-year-old is now manager of Real Madrid Castilla, the club’s ‘B’ team, showing how president Florentino Perez has often succeeded in turning the page and bringing club legends in from the cold.
Iker Casillas (1999-2015, 725 appearances and 18 trophies)
It was a sad ending for the man dubbed ‘San Iker’, Saint Iker, for his miraculous saves — a tearful Casillas facing the media alone and struggling to read a statement confirming his departure from Madrid after 16 years.
But it had been coming: Casillas never fully recovered after being benched by Jose Mourinho amid accusations he was a ‘mole’ in the Madrid dressing room, supposedly leaking information to the press.
“Do I have to defend myself from something that isn’t true?” Casillas said in his 2020 documentary Colgar las Alas (Hanging Up Your Wings). “Do I know people from the press? How could I not? But from that to be leaking information to one and the other, I don’t know.”
The World Cup-winning Spain goalkeeper was far from his best by the time Ancelotti replaced Mourinho in the dugout in 2013, even if he did help Madrid lift La Decima in 2014 — their previously elusive 10th European Cup/Champions League title.
Perez organised an official farewell more befitting of a club legend for the day after his solo news conference, but the damage had already been done in the eyes of many. Casillas later suggested it had been his “error” to address reporters by himself. “I needed a new atmosphere, to abandon being so exposed to criticism and to want to improve,” he added.
Casillas moved to a more forgiving environment at Porto, where he spent five years before retiring in 2020 following a heart scare in training. He continues to be involved with Madrid through the club’s foundation — he is deputy director general — but his rushed goodbye clouded the memory of his highs at Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018, 438 appearances, 451 goals and 15 trophies)
Ronaldo remains Madrid’s record goalscorer, but things were not always rosy in his last few years at the club. The break-up finally came in the summer of 2018 after Ronaldo had given Los Blancos fans an unexpected warning following their Champions League final win against Liverpool in Kyiv.
“It was very nice to be at Real Madrid,” he said in an on-pitch interview. “In the next few days, I’ll talk. Does this sound like a farewell? No, no, I have enjoyed this moment with my team-mates and in the next few days I will give an answer.”
Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus was finally confirmed on July 10, but there was more controversy in between. The problems dated back to summer 2017 — when Ronaldo’s entourage claimed he was promised a pay rise that never materialised. The club suggested this was to help him pay a tax fine and earn more than his arch-rival at Barcelona, Lionel Messi.
In January 2018, Madrid reportedly agreed to facilitate their star player’s exit if it was for a fee of around €100million ($109m; £86m by current exchange rates), but that gesture angered Ronaldo, who saw it as further proof he was not valued enough by the club.
Ronaldo left after winning a fourth Champions League title with Madrid (TF-Images/Getty Images)
Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes negotiated a four-year deal with Juventus for €100m, but the announcement was delayed due to a PR issue. Perez was wary of his reputation being damaged as the president who sold Ronaldo and demanded the forward publicly state that he wanted to leave — which he eventually did through a statement on the club website.
“I have asked the club to accept to transfer me,” Ronaldo said. “I feel this way and I ask everyone, and most especially our fans, to please understand me.”
Madrid were open to holding a farewell event at the Bernabeu, but Ronaldo was not. His last appearance there proved to be the team’s Champions League celebrations in May, when fans and team-mates had chanted “Cristiano, stay!”. But it was no use.
Sergio Ramos (2005-2021, 671 appearances, 101 goals and 22 trophies)
Perez and Ramos have regularly said they have a father-son relationship. Like all fathers and sons, however, they had their fair share of fallings out before Ramos’ exit nearly three years ago.
The first was in 2015, a year after Ramos became the ‘Hero of La Decima’ for scoring the 93rd-minute header that forced extra time in that Champions League final against Atletico. Manchester United were interested in the centre-back and Ramos himself claimed he received a formal offer.
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Ramos’ entourage suggested Madrid had leaked negative reports about him and did not value him enough, while Los Blancos said it was a question of money. But Ramos ended up renewing until 2020 on a higher salary, before extending his deal again in 2017 until 2021.
Then, in 2019, Ramos told Perez he had received an offer from a Chinese club and asked to leave for free as the side could not afford to pay a fee. “I told him that this could not be,” Perez later said. “It’s impossible for us to let the captain leave for free because it would also be a dangerous precedent.”
Ramos was back at the Bernabeu with Sevilla last weekend (David S Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
Ramos stayed, but things came to a head again two years later. A back-and-forth of leaks to the press developed and tensions between Jose Angel Sanchez, the club’s influential general director, and Rene Ramos, the defender’s brother and agent, meant Perez and Sergio Ramos had to speak directly.
Madrid made Ramos an offer that did not convince him at first, but when he eventually decided to accept it, he was told that the proposal had expired. He left for PSG on a free transfer, bringing an end to 16 years at the Bernabeu.
Madrid still organised an institutional farewell ceremony for the defender. It was held at their Valdebebas training ground, where an emotional Ramos was joined by Perez — suggesting father and son had set apart their differences.
“I had a hard time at Sergio Ramos’ farewell,” Perez said. “I love him like a son and of course I’m sorry. I have never done a (farewell) press conference with a player.”
And… Luka Modric? (2012-present, 517 appearances, 39 goals and 24 trophies)
Ramos’ close friend Modric could be the next Madrid legend on his way out, but the tribute to the defender serves as an example that the club could follow if they do say farewell this summer.
Since then, Madrid have made more efforts to give their best players the send-off they deserve. In 2022, Marcelo wanted to stay but had to accept the club’s decision not to renew his deal. Once this had been resolved, a press event was held at Valdebebas and Perez was again present to give the left-back a club insignia. Madrid’s president was also in attendance for Casemiro and Karim Benzema’s farewells in 2022 and 2023 respectively, both of whom had asked the club if they could leave.
Perez with Benzema at the Frenchman’s farewell last year (Antonio Villalba/Real Madrid via Getty Images)
A few months ago, Modric was offered a role on Ancelotti’s coaching staff if he decided to retire — but he wants to play on. His contract runs out in June and in recent years he has earned himself a season-by-season extension. The club have serious doubts about giving him another renewal and have not made any moves so far.
Even on the player’s side of things, there is doubt as to whether he would renew if he was offered a new deal. The Croatian does not enjoy the secondary role he has played this campaign and he has said he was not warned about this when he signed his last extension in 2023.
Modric’s happiness and the stability of his family in Madrid could play a role though. He has been tempted by clubs from Croatia, Saudi Arabia (which does not appeal to him) and the United States. While he would not rule out staying in Europe, he is particularly interested in this last option.
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(Top photos: Getty Images)
