Real Madrid's Luka Modric, left, and Real Sociedad's Mikel Oyarzabal fight for the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at Alfredo di ...
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Real Madrid's Luka Modric reacts during the Champions League, Group B, soccer match between Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Madrid at the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine.
AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
Real Madrid's Luka Modric, foreground, and Inter Milan's Roberto Gagliardini fight for the ball during the Champions League group B soccer match between Real Madrid and Inter Milan...
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Real Madrid's Luka Modric celebrates scoring his side's 3rd goal during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, ...
AP Photo/Joan Monfort
Real Madrid's Luka Modric celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during the Champions League, group B soccer match between Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk at Alfredo di ...
AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Real Madrid's Luka Modric, right, and Cadiz's Alex Fernandez fight for possession during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Cadiz at the Alfredo di Stefano st...
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Real Madrid's Luka Modric shoots the ball during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Villareal at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium in Madrid, Spain.
AP/PTI Photo
Real Madrid's Luka Modric gestures during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Valladolid and Real Madrid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium in Valladolid, Spain.
AP Photo/Ricardo Ordonez
Real Madrid's Luka Modric, second left, is shown a yellow card during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Sevilla at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.
AP Photo/Manu Fernandez
Real Madrid's Luka Modric celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the Spanish Super Cup semifinal soccer match between Real Madrid and Valencia at King Abdullah stadi...
AP Photo/Hassan Ammar
Real Madrid's Luka Modric, center, jubilates after scoring his sides third goal during the Champions League group A soccer match between Brugge and Real Madrid at the Jan Breydel s...
AP/PTI
Real Madrid's Lucas Modric poses during the Golden Ball award ceremony at the Grand Palais in Paris.
AP Photo/Francois Mori
Barcelona's soccer player Lionel Messi, right, receives his sixth golden ball from Real Madrid's Lucas Modric during the Golden Ball award ceremony in Paris.
AP Photo/Francois Mori
Real Madrid's Luka Modric is fouled by Real Sociedad's Mikel Merino during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid,...
AP/PTI Photo
Real Madrid's Luka Modric arrives with his wife Vanja Bosnic and children Ivano and Ema to attend the Best FIFA soccer awards, in Milan's La Scala theater, northern Italy.
AP Photo/Luca Bruno
FIFA World Men Eleven team during the Best FIFA soccer awards ceremony, in Milan's La Scala theater, northern Italy.
AP Photo/Antonio Calanni
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during a dinner hosted by him in honour of the Members of Parliament, in New Delhi.
PTI Photo
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offer prayers at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, in Varanasi.
Twitter Photo/PTI
Real midfielder Luka Modric, left, tries to stop Ajax's Dusan Tadic during the Champions League round of 16 second leg soccer match between Real Madrid and Ajax at the Santiago Ber...
AP Photo/Bernat Armangue
Fast Forward
Recall Luka Modric’s twisty playmaking skills that powered Croatia to the World Cup final. Remember, too, Kylian Mbappe’s fiendishly fast bursts in that final that won Fran...
A number of top players, including Barcelona's Lionel Messi, are out of contract at the end of the 2021 season and from the start of the year are free to open talks with other teams
Madrid won its 13th European title in 2018, but it didn't get past the round of 16 in the last two seasons — being eliminated by Ajax in 2019 and Manchester City in 2020.