Wednesday's Club World Cup semi-final match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, ending 4-0, was the worst possible goodbye for two Real Madrid legends, Luka Modric and Lucas Vázquez, who will no longer continue next year. The Croatian, who turns 40 in September, had a warm homage at his last Bernabéu match last May, but his final game altogether with the white jersey was a painful rout.
"This is not the desired end, it's a bitter end, but he won't be remembered for today's game but for other great ones. He's a legend of world football and of Real Madrid", said Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, whom he shared dressing room a decade ago, lifting 2014's Champions League together. "He'll be remembered for many more good things than for the 25 minutes he played today."
Modric joined in the 64th minute, but couldn't do much against PSG. He leaves having played 597 matches with Real Madrid since 2012, winning 23 trophies, including six Champions League titles, scoring 38 goals and giving 73 assists. He will now join AC Milan for one year.
Yesterday's was also the final game for Lucas Vázquez, another veteran Real Madrid player whose future is still undecided.
He has played 402 games with Real Madrid (only two at the Club World Cup, and only 42 minutes in total). While not as illustrious as Modric, and not always the most reliable defender, Vázquez has always played a big part in every big Real Madrid success from the past decade and was well loved by teammates and fans alike.