Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar wants to retire at the Santiago Bernabeu – report
Real Madrid have had no shortage of legends in the club’s history. However, in the recent past, very few of them have gone on to retire at Santiago Bernabeu, with players such as Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Pepe opting to move elsewhere rather than ending their careers at the Bernabeu.
But according to journalist Rodra P, Karim Benzema is set to break the chain by retiring at Real Madrid. The Frenchman, currently revered as one of the best footballers on the planet, has enjoyed immense success in recent times, notably winning the Ballon d’Or this year.
With his current contract at Bernabeu expiring at the end of the season, many expect Benzema to sign a contract extension of up to one year.
This means the Frenchman will continue playing for Real Madrid until at least 2024. But as per the report, the forward has registered himself in Madrid and has processed the documentation process to the Civil Registry Service in the Madrid City Council.
Benzema had to buy another house to be able to initiate the documentation process. As such, the player has purchased a new property in downtown Madrid. Once the process is completed, he will become a Madrilenian.
This will enable Benzema to vote for the Madrid mayoral elections and enjoy civil services offered by the city. The report suggests Benzema’s desire to register himself in Madrid is one key indicator of his willingness to retire at the Santiago Bernabeu and continue his life as a Madrid citizen.
Formerly of Lyon, Benzema had arrived in the Spanish capital back in 2009. Since then, he has been an excellent servant for Los Blancos, having featured in more than 600 competitive matches for the club.
The forward’s progress, though, has stalled in the ongoing season due to injuries that saw him miss out on the FIFA World Cup. But he is expected to be fit for the second half of the campaign as Real Madrid look to overtake Barcelona in their bid to retain the league title.
Real Madrid are blessed to have the services and loyalty of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. The duo have run the show in the Merengues’ midfield for close to a decade and continue to deliver flawless performances to date.
Of the two, however, it is the Croatian who deserves the higher credit. The veteran is now 37 years of age, yet dominates the middle of the park with grace and poise like none other.
Stephen Estuaqio, an FC Porto player and Canada International, spoke earlier this week about why he considered Luka Modric to be a special player and compared him with Kevin de Bruyne to support his stance.
“I played against De Bruyne, but I ran behind Modrić. I couldn’t play against him. It’s crazy how he dictates the game and controls everything. It was a lesson for me,” he said on The 90th minute on Youtube.
With his contract running out next season, Real Madrid are looking to renew his deal by one year come June. Yet, it is difficult to see him continue beyond next season and his imminent departure will mark the end of an era at the club.
Thus, Modric could be an altered role come next season. With a young midfielder, possibly Jude Bellingham set to arrive, the veteran could move into a mentorship role with the occasional appearance in big games.
This season, however, Carlo Ancelotti will continue to use him as one of the backbones of the side and deploy the maestro in the must-win fixtures coming up later this month.
At 37 years of age, Modric has started 16 La Liga games over 24 appearances this season in the competition. He has scored four goals and provided three assists in that process in addition to creating eight big chances with an average of 1.8 key passes per game.
