The Magic Flute finale: The 2026 World Cup will be the final note

Kroos, who left Real Madrid last year, announced his retirement after the summer European Championships, while Modric will not announce his retirement immediately after a year between next year's World Cup. In the Croatian national team, he also has a dream related to the World Cup. For the World Cup, the "Magic Flute" will definitely choose a club in a major league to maintain his competitive form after leaving Real Madrid.

The reporter reported coldly The Club World Cup was Modric's last trophy in a Real Madrid shirt, but what about after that? Where does Croatia's greatest star go in his career? Kroos, who left Real Madrid last year, announced his retirement after the summer European Championships. Previously, Croatian media were the first to reveal that Modric may announce his retirement after the Club World Cup. But Real Madrid legend Mijatovic firmly believes that with what he knows about Modric, the legendary Croatian midfielder will end his career at next year's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Until then, Modric will opt to stay in a more competitive league in order to perform at his best at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico. At Real Madrid Modric has won everything, but in the Croatian national team he still has a dream related to the World Cup.

On May 22, Modric officially announced that he would leave Real Madrid at the end of the season, and everyone was speculating about his future. Inter Miami is said to be the first club to make contact with Modric's team, with New York City in North America, Thaad in Qatar, Riyadh Victory in Saudi Arabia and even Monterrey in Mexico all interested. However, those who are closer to Modric like Mijatovic believe that Modric will not opt for a less competitive North American or Saudi league for the sake of his World Cup dream.

In fact, as early as May 19, when the Croatian team announced the squad for the June World Cup qualifiers, coach Dalic had already indicated the future of the Magic Flute. The 39-year-old captain of the national team has no doubt about continuing to be selected, and Modric, who has made 186 appearances for Croatia, remains Dalic's first choice in World Cup qualifying, at least. However, in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League in March, Modric's form declined due to his lack of playing time at Real Madrid, which also caused problems for Dalic.

Croatia's two-legged clash with France in three days made Dalic understand that he cannot and should not ignore the laws of biology, that Modric cannot control the midfield as he did in the previous two World Cups, and that France's dominance is hopeless. The second leg of the match between the two teams dragged on penalties, with 68 per cent possession to 32 per cent, 25 to 8 shots on goal and zero shots on target for Croatia, whose disadvantage was particularly evident in Luka Modric. Dalic had to bring on the tired Modric early and consider conserving Modric's fitness like Real Madrid and only using him in more important games.

What Dalic saw, Modric must have seen as well. He wants to be fit and fit for big games and play the full 90 or even 120 minutes instead of being substituted early. Since March 2024, Modric has made 14 appearances for the national team, playing just eight full games, missing a total of 157 minutes. In the 17 games between the 2022 World Cup and the end of 2023, Modric has played only 75 minutes less, including as many as four extra-time games. If he wants to regain his previous 'full blood' form, Modric will have to be consistent enough at club level for the coming year.

Mijatovic believes that only by staying in the top five leagues can Modric maintain good enough form. Luka Modric's plans to buy a £1 million five-bedroom property on the outskirts of Swansea have led to rumours of his return to the Premier League. Previously, Modric had just bought a small stake in Championship club Swansea City, and recently increased his holdings. The villa is just a few minutes' drive from the Swansea City Training Centre, making it easy to see the team as a shareholder or join the team as a player.

Of course, Modric's play in the Championship does not satisfy his competitive requirements, but Leeds United, who have just returned to the Premier League, are already interested in inviting Modric to join. Leeds United are just a 3.5-hour drive from Swansea, making it the perfect place for Luka Modric to return to Wales on his post-match rest day to enjoy family fun with his wife and children. Another option in the Premier League is Tottenham, but when he left Tottenham 13 years ago, Modric and the top management parted happily, and time may not wash away the grievances between the two sides.

Luka Modric has a €10 million mansion in Madrid and the possibility of staying in La Liga in the future also exists. La Liga teams Rayo Vallecano and Getafe on the outskirts of Madrid have a good relationship with Real Madrid, bringing in players from Real Madrid's first team and B team for a long time. Granero, Soldado, Parejo, Pedro Leon, Kenei Kubo, and Mayoral all joined Getafe for a short time, while Rayo Vallecano just brought in Modric's former teammate J Ronaldo in Real Madrid last summer, and had previously "adopted" Fran Garcia, Luca Zidane, and De Tomas, which is an option that the "Magic Flute" can consider.

Regardless of the choice, Modric's goal is to win next year's World Cup, which will be the true finale of the Magic Flute's career.