Midfield maestro Luka Modric had a storied career at Real Madrid, winning every major trophy with the club. Unfortunately, his last game for the All-Whites was not representative of his exploits, as his team suffered a crushing 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
On Wednesday, July 9, Los Blancos faced the reigning European champions, PSG, in the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final at MetLife Stadium. Beating the best team in Europe was always a big ask from this work-in-progress Real Madrid, but few would have foreseen this self-destruction.
The game started on the worst possible note for Madrid, as Raul Asencio fumbled the ball inside the box, allowing Ousmane Dembele to snatch it away. Thibaut Courtois blocked the Frenchman, but the ball fell to a lurking Fabian Ruiz, who applied a confident finish to make it 1-0.
🏁 @PSG_espanol 4-0 @RealMadrid
⚽️ 6' Fabián Ruiz
⚽️ 9' Dembélé
⚽️ 24' Fabián Ruiz
⚽ 88' G. Ramos pic.twitter.com/eJIB73cgf8— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) July 9, 2025
Just four minutes later, Antonio Rudiger made a fatal error, miskicking the ball and allowing Dembele to pounce. The 28-year-old, the obvious Ballon d’Or candidate according to Luis Enrique and Marquinhos, beat Courtois in a one-on-one showdown. Two goals down, Real Madrid had to commit men forward, which opened up more space for the Parisians to exploit.
Capitalising on it, Ruiz made it 3-0 in the 25th minute. Finally, in the 87th minute, PSG made it 4-0, with substitute Goncalo Ramos putting the cherry on top.
Fans React As Luka Modric Ends Real Madrid With a 4-0 Defeat to PSG
The Club World Cup was the farewell tournament for Luka Modric, who had announced his Real Madrid exit before the end of the 2024/25 LaLiga campaign. Teammate-turned-coach Xabi Alonso did not start him in any of the six matches Los Blancos played, allowing the 39-year-old only 120 minutes of football.
On Wednesday, Modric entered the pitch in the 64th minute, as Madrid looked for more control in midfield. The captain played some fine passes, but they did not amount to much. Modric looked dejected throughout the game, seeing his team concede the way they did. And fans were heartbroken to see him end his Real Madrid career in such a manner.
Real Madrid fan @MadridPreeti wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
“I’ll never forgive these players for making this the last game of Modric with Real Madrid“
I’ll never forgive these players for making this the last game of Modric with Real Madrid 💔 pic.twitter.com/wHXDz4m7Tx
— Preeti (@MadridPreeti) July 9, 2025
Real Madrid expert @KiyanSo added:
“God I hate that this is the way Modric is ending his Real Madrid career”
God I hate that this is the way Modric is ending his Real Madrid career
— Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) July 9, 2025
The season ended a long time ago and it was already a not so glorious end to his Real Madrid career.
— Mukupa Malama (@kupa48) July 9, 2025
such a bitter goodbye.
it didn’t have to end like this after more than a decade of memories and greatness.
farewell maestro, there will never be another luka modric. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/kgDMs4jMLL— palo 🎀༘⋆ (@palokats) July 9, 2025
“modrić’s final goodbye to real madrid, the place he’s called home for 13 years, happening 3000 miles away on some pitch in the US when he should’ve been honored at cibeles… absolute heartbreak.”
modrić’s final goodbye to real madrid, the place he’s called home for 13 years, happening 3000 miles away on some pitch in the US when he should’ve been honored at cibeles… absolute heartbreak.
— 🇵🇸 (@arbeIoas) July 9, 2025
Having won 27 trophies, Modric leaves as the most decorated player in Real Madrid history. The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner won six Champions Leagues, four LaLiga titles, and two Copas del Rey among other honours. Modric, who has become a minority owner at Swansea City, is set to join AC Milan in the coming days.
