Modric, while playing in a rotating role, is still an important member of the team. He now only starts a portion of the games instead of all of them, and he also occasionally comes off the bench.
There was some drama earlier in the season surrounding Modric's future on the team. Many speculated that he might try to leave for a different European team so he could start every Champions League game, or he might even try to take a big pay cut in Saudi Arabia, similar to what happened to his former three-peat teammates and Ballon d'Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. Instead, according to MARCA, Luka Modric has had a change of heart and realized his mistake. The 38-year-old is now prepared to re-sign with Real Madrid and take on the position of a reserve player.