90min

Real Madrid decide new captain as Nacho nears exit - report

  • Nacho Fernandez leaving club after 23-year association
  • Real Madrid set to usher in new era with Luka Modric as captain
  • Dani Carvajal, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Junior among those in leadership group

By Katie Catherall

Luka Modric will wear the captain's armband
Luka Modric will wear the captain's armband / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
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Luka Modric will become Real Madrid's captain next season as the club prepare to move on without Nacho Fernandez, reports in Spain claim.

Nacho, who is representing Spain at Euro 2024, is expected to join Saudi Arabian side Al Qadsiah following the expiry of his Santiago Bernabeu contract after deciding to pursue a new challenge.

The 34-year-old lifted the La Liga title last season and helped Madrid claim a record-extending 15th Champions League crown, and his impending departure will end a 23-year association with the club that has seen him play over 350 times in all competitions and win 25 trophies.

Spanish journalist Miguel Angel Diaz reports that decisions have been made over Madrid's leadership moving forwards, with veteran midfielder Luka Modric, who agreed a new one-year deal in June, poised to take over as the club's new captain.

Long-serving Dani Carvajal is tipped to serve as Modric's understudy, and he's joined in a six-strong leadership group that consists of Lucas Vazquez, Federico Valverde, Thibaut Courtois and Vinicius Junior, who many consider to be the favourite for this year's Ballon d'Or.

Luka Modric
Modric is currently away with Croatia / Mateusz Slodkowski/GettyImages

Modric has been at Real Madrid for over a decade, establishing himself as one of the greatest midfielders to have played the game alongside midfield partner Toni Kroos. Like Nacho, he has been at the club during a golden era of success in the Champions League, winning the competition six times and never once coming out on the losing side of a final.

He has also won La Liga on four occasions, though his role has diminished over the past 12 months given the vast array of talent at Carlo Ancelotti's disposal.

Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga are likely to continue ahead of Modric in the pecking order, but his experience will prove valuable in a dressing room that is preparing to welcome superstar duo Kylian Mbappe and Endrick next season.

As for now, Modric is playing for Croatia at Euro 2024, tasked with escaping a tough group that contains Spain, Italy and Albania. Failure to make the knockout stages would almost certainly bring the curtain down on his fairytale international career, which peaked during the 2018 World Cup in Russia as Croatia unexpectedly made the final by beating England 2-1.

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