The ‘curse’ of the armband at Real Madrid

Fifth captain in a row to leave the ‘merengues’ in five years

Luka Modric announced on Tuesday that he will leave Real Madrid after the Club World Cup . The 39-year-old midfielder joined the Merengues in 2012/2013, after four seasons at Tottenham .

In Spain, Marca talks about the “curse of the armband”. The Croatian international is the fifth captain in a row to leave in five years.

After Sergio Ramos left the Bernabéu, Marcelo took the armband, but left 12 months later. He was followed by Benzema , who ended his spell with the Whites in a somewhat unexpected move by joining Saudi side Al Ittihad.

The armband passed to Nacho Fernández , who joined Saudi Arabian side Al Qadisiyah the following season. Modric ‘s stint as captain also lasted… one season.

Dani Carvajal , who continues to recover from injury, is set to succeed Modric . Fede Valverde , with Lucas Vázquez most likely leaving , will be the second captain.

Will the curse continue? Carvajal only has one year left on his Real Madrid contract …